Police in Novi Sad used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse anti-government protesters. Dozens of people were injured, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said the protests were supported by a European mob that had come to destroy Serbia.

The first clashes took place in front of the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Novi Sad, where special forces and gendarmerie used tear gas, pepper spray, and stun grenades.

Later, it was reported that the police had "cleared" the university campus of students, teachers, citizens, and medical personnel.

After midnight, police stormed the University Rectorate building, where citizens injured during today's protest were receiving medical assistance from health workers.

Earlier, dozens of police officers tried to break into the Rector's Office building, where students, citizens, and medical teams have been staying for months to support the protesters. An improvised medical station had been set up there.

"I saw how they broke down the door," said Milica, a student standing in front of the Rector's office.

Professor Ivana Baikin said that dozens of people were injured during the protest. 

"Many people were injured. There were injuries to the head, to the legs from running, to the arms from being beaten with batons. During the initial examination, it seemed to us that there were no fractures, but there were serious bruises and redness. Many people were affected by the tear gas, which was used in huge quantities – there were serious breathing problems and severe burning of the eyes and skin. Anyone who wasn't wearing long pants and sleeves got really bad burns on their skin. So we used a lot of saline solution to ease the pain," the doctor said.

"Fortunately, most of the injuries were not serious. There were two cases of head injuries. One woman probably broke her hip joint – that's one of the more serious injuries, but there were many injuries from batons, tear gas and running in the crowd," she added.

A number of protesters reported that they had been subjected to violence by law enforcement agencies.

Civil society activists pointed out that Serbian citizens have the right, guaranteed by the Constitution and international conventions, to freely express their opinions, assemble, and protest peacefully without fear of reprisals.

N1 television reported that police attacked journalist Emir Karimanić from the 021.rs portal while he was covering the protest.

The escalation occurred after the Serbian Interior Ministry announced that it had received information about the intentions of protesters in Novi Sad to attack police officers stationed in front of the Faculty of Philosophy and the Faculty of Sports and Physical Education in the city.

The ministry called on all those gathered to obey the law and not to show aggression towards law enforcement officers. 

"Otherwise, the police will be forced to respond and take all measures provided for by law to protect their own lives, security, and to maintain stable public order and peace," the law enforcement agency said.

President Aleksandar Vučić, in turn, said that the protesters in Novi Sad were being aided by "a European mob that has come to destroy our country."

"Go and destroy your own countries. Don't destroy Serbia. You are a mob. In fact, you are even worse than that. That's all I have to say to you. Are we afraid? Not in the least. I respect Ursula von der Leyen. I respect Anthony Kosha. And this mob from the European Green Party—the worst mob in Europe, which came to Novi Sad tonight to support violence—just needs to know that they will be judged according to the laws of the Republic of Serbia. Nothing more and nothing less," said the Serbian leader.

For more than 10 months now, Serbia has been engulfed in the largest protests in its history. The reason is the collapse of the canopy at the train station in Novi Sad on November 1, which killed 16 people. Protesters blame Alexander Vučić's corrupt regime for the poor quality of the canopy repairs. | BGNES