Serbia sees second-largest protest since Milosevic's fall
Clashes broke out in central Belgrade between some demonstrators and the police after the student protests ended at Slavija Square, Belgrade, Serbia on May 23, 2026.
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The opposition has long demanded a probe into corruption over the November 2024 train station canopy collapse in the northern city of Novi Sad, which caused 16 deaths that protesters blame on endemic graft.
Between 180,000 and 190,000 people turned out for the protest, reported Arhiv javnih skupova (AJS), an independent group comprising journalists and intellectuals specialising in counting the number of demonstrators.
According to the monitor, it was the second largest protest in Serbia since the fall of strongman president Slobodan Milosevic in 2000.
A previous rally by the student-led movement brought between 275,000 and 325,000 people to the streets.
Serbia's national police chief Dragan Vasiljevic gave a turnout of around 34,300 people for the rally.
The police and AJS regularly give figures with large gaps between them.
More than 20 people were arrested in the wake of violence between police and masked stone-throwers, who were met with tear gas, after Saturday's rally had ended.
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