Violent protesters and police clashed in western Serbia and the capital Belgrade on Saturday as tensions rose in the Balkan country after days of violent protests.
A group of young men, covering their faces with scarves and shouting anti-presidencial slogans against Aleksandar Vucic, threw flammable objects at the offices of the Serbian Progressive Party in Valjevo, located about 100 km (60 miles) from the capital.
They set fire to the party's offices and then clashed with police maintaining order in the city centre.
Police fired several tear gas grenades and attacked demonstrators who threw bottles, rocks and flares at them.
Similar clashes took place in Belgrade on Saturday evening, with police using tear gas against protesters as they battled demonstrators who were setting trash containers on fire.
Protesters in Valjevo took to the streets to express their discontent over what they see as police brutality.
There was no official information on the number of victims in Valjevo and Belgrade.
Protests have gripped Serbia since November, when a railway station canopy collapsed, killing 16 people. Many blame the tragedy on shoddy repairs caused by widespread corruption in infrastructure projects.
Student protests that had been largely peaceful for months turned violent this week, putting pressure on Serbia's increasingly authoritarian president, who has rejected protesters' demands for early parliamentary elections.
Mr Vucic accused the protesters of following orders from abroad to “destroy Serbia” and vowed to crush the nationwide student-led movement.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
