Belgrade [Serbia], August 18: The offices of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) have been set on fire during a fifth night of unrest in a row that saw fresh clashes between anti-government protesters and riot police.
Police in the city of Valjevo reportedly used stun grenades and tear gas on protesters after a small group of masked individuals attacked the empty facilities of the SNS.
There were widespread allegations of violence and police brutality in the capital, Belgrade, and Novi Sad. Serbia's interior ministry has denied these allegations.
It comes as Russia pledged to assist the beleaguered pro-Moscow President Aleksandar Vucic, who leads the SNS, saying it would not "remain unresponsive".
The protests were initially triggered by a railway station collapse in Novi Sad in November last year that killed 16 people, with many blaming corruption and corner-cutting by Vucic's government for the disaster.
While anti-corruption demonstrations have drawn in hundreds of thousands of protestors, they had been largely peaceful until Wednesday's clash, when pro-government loyalists staged counter-demonstrations.
On Saturday night, riot police were again deployed in a number of cities including Belgrade as people took part in demonstrations to demand early elections. Offices and flags representing Vucic's SNS party had been a focus of the protesters' anger.
Protesters also smashed the windows of the headquarters of the Serbian Radical Party, a coalition partner of the SNS.
In the past week, injuries have been reported at protests across the country and unverified video has circulated on social media of police beating a man in Valjevo.
Michael O'Flaherty, the Council of Europe's commissioner for human rights, raised concern on Friday over the "police's disproportionate force" in Serbia, urging authorities to "end arbitrary arrests and de-escalate the situation".
Vucic responded to Saturday's developments on Instagram, writing that "violence is an expression of total weakness" and promising to "punish the bullies".
Source: Qatar Tribune
