Growing protests pose the most serious challenge yet to Serbia’s populist president

By DUSAN STOJANOVIC BELGRADE Serbia AP Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is escalating his crackdown on protests that have shaken his populist rule in current months What began as a small student-led campaign against corruption has snowballed into one of the the greater part turbulent protest waves in the Balkan country in a quarter of a century Related Articles Trump says the US military again targeted a boat allegedly carrying drugs from Venezuela Brazil s Lula pushes back against tariff tells Trump the country s democracy is not on the table Nvidia violated antimonopoly laws China says Immigrants deported from US to Ghana are sent home where lawyers say particular could face torture British politicians condemn Elon Musk s comments at anti-migrant rally Rights groups and Vucic s political opponents have warned of increasingly brutal tactics aimed at silencing a movement that has become the biggest challenge yet to his decade-long grip on power Last week tanks rolled through the capital Belgrade in preparation for a military parade on Sept If the parade becomes a flashpoint for unrest protesters fear the military could remain on the streets Vucic s nationalist background Vucic has ruled Serbia for more than a decade reshaping its politics while drawing accusations of corruption and authoritarianism Russian President Vladimir Putin right and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic pose for a photo during their meeting at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing China Tuesday Sept Alexander Kazakov Sputnik Kremlin Pool Photo via AP He began his political career in the s as a hardline nationalist in the Serbian Radical Party becoming information minister under the late Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic He was notorious for his calls to punish independent media and his wartime rhetoric against Serbia s neighbors which he maintains to this day Serbia was defeated in the wars in the Balkans Milosevic was ousted by a wave of protests in October and Vucic reinvented himself as a pro-European reformer He co-founded the Serbian Progressive Party which promised modernization and EU integration but he consolidated his power through populism control of the media and a tight grip on state institutions How the latest unrest started On Nov a canopy collapsed at the railway station in the northern city of Novi Sad killing at least people The tragedy tied to a Chinese-backed renovation project sparked outrage over alleged state-run corruption and negligence University students were the first to protest blocking traffic every Friday for minutes in memory of the dead But the anger over corruption fleetly resonated beyond campuses drawing crowds of ordinary citizens frustrated with rising costs of living and a sense of impunity among ruling-party elites Protesters now demand accountability transparency and early elections Why the protests turned violent At first the demonstrations were peaceful marches and sit-ins But tensions rose when bureaucrats deployed riot police plainclothes officers and even shady parapolice units led by soccer hooligans loyal to Vucic to disperse the gatherings with batons sticks and flares Led by university students people attend a protest against increasing police brutality in Belgrade Serbia Monday Sept AP Photo Darko Vojinovic Protesters announced beatings arbitrary arrests and the use of tear gas stun grenades and sonic devices tactics that rights groups have condemned as brutal and excessive The harsh response from the agents has fueled defiance Students have escalated their actions by blocking major intersections occupying university halls and staging sit-ins outside state institutions Each new crackdown has drawn more people into the streets creating a cycle of confrontation And while previous waves of protests petered out over a disputed property enhancement statements of stolen elections and two mass shootings this time the protests have built up over time Crucially they spread beyond Belgrade to dozens of cities and small towns across the country Vucic s response Vucic has repeatedly branded the attendee protesters as terrorists who are working in conjunction with Western powers to remove him from office without presenting any evidence Although he has called for a dialogue with the students he has refused to call early elections and warned of an even harsher response to the protests Students flatly rejected the offer of talks before early elections In response to the scholar demands personnel sacked more than teachers professors and deans and replaced them with Vucic s loyalists While a few schools have reopened with new staff others have remained closed especially chosen of the university faculties A strategic position between East and West While under intense domestic pressure Vucic continued projecting Serbia s foreign diplomacy as balanced managing complex relations with both the European Union and his authoritarian allies bulk notably Russia Serbian army helicopters MI- fly over the city ahead of a military parade scheduled for Sept in the Serbian capital Belgrade Friday Sept AP Photo Darko Vojinovic He attended a summit on Sept with leaders from China Russia North Korea and Iran where he commented he received their promotion in dealing with the protests at home He has also refused to join international sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine However he has also made no move to block Serbian exports of weapons to Ukraine and earlier this year he made his first-ever visit to Kyiv signaling a willingness to engage with Western-aligned nations Serbia has been a candidate for EU membership since but negotiations have made slow progress Europe s muted reaction Vucic s tenure is marked by a centralization of power suppression of dissent and tight control over the media drawing scrutiny from human rights organizations He has openly advocated the closure of the last remaining independent TV outlets N and Nova or a purge of reporters and management He has called them liars for their coverage of the protests although they mainly broadcast live with minimal intervention from editors or commentators Analysts and opposition groups argue that Europe must increase the pressure on Serbia to prevent its further democratic erosion EU functionaries have warned Vucic that progress toward EU membership depends on meeting certain standards including reforms in the judiciary media freedoms and fight against corruption A Serbian Army soldier prepares ahead of a military parade scheduled for Sept in the Serbian capital Belgrade Friday Sept AP Photo Darko Vojinovic At a time when Europe is dealing with the repercussions of Russia s war in Ukraine the EU has so far shown little willingness to confront Vucic and his establishment The Serbian opposition and several EU lawmakers believe the EU s reaction has been too timid because leaders believe Vucic is the only one who can preserve peace in a region still reeling from a series of wars in the s that left over people dead and millions homeless High stakes The anti-graft rallies have become more than just a fight against corruption They are now a direct challenge to Vucic s heavy-handed rule with demonstrators demanding free elections independent judiciary and accountability for police violence With neither side showing signs of backing down Serbia faces a deepening political problem and the menace of further unrest and even bloodshed Jovana Gec in Belgrade contributed to this document