Vučić downplayed Saturday’s events when asked by reporters. “What is happening in Novi Sad? Is some soccer match being played?” he said.
Authorities also canceled all rail transport in the country on Friday, claiming a bomb threat; however, media reports suggest it was a move to prevent citizens from reaching the city for the demonstrations.
What began as a demand for accountability over a tragedy blamed on government negligence quickly escalated into nationwide protests over the past year. Widespread police brutality fueled the unrest, eventually prompting President Aleksandar Vučić to try to calm the outrage by forcing Prime Minister Miloš Vučević to resign along with the rest of his cabinet.
Serbia became an EU candidate country in 2012, and it later opened accession negotiations with the EU in 2013. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently urged Vučić and Serbia to “get concrete” about joining.