Last night in Novi Sad and several other cities in Serbia, there were loud chants in the streets, but also gunshots.

The student protests, which were organized under the slogan "Serbia, wake up!", quickly escalated into violent clashes between demonstrators, supporters of President Aleksandar Vučić's Serbian Progressive Party (SPS), and well-organized paramilitary groups, some of which were protected by the army and police.

Fireworks and gunshots erupted a few meters from the Betania maternity hospital on Osvobodjenje Boulevard in Novi Sad. The explosions were so powerful that experts warned of the risk of permanent deafness for newborns and psychological trauma for new mothers. Videos shared on social media show the panic: protesters running away from the noise, torches being thrown into the crowd, and pyrotechnic shells being thrown from all sides.

In the heat of the clashes, a sergeant from the elite Cobra unit, fired into the air. According to him, this action was intended to protect his life and that of his colleagues, who were surrounded by protesters. Officially, he was providing security for Miloš Vučević, chairman of the SPP and advisor to President Vučić. The presence of seven soldiers to protect a party leader raised serious questions: where does national security end and party protection begin?

The night was marked by violence: beatings with sticks, stone throwing, and clashes with the often powerless police. According to Interior Minister Ivica Dačić, 27 police officers were injured, along with dozens of civilians. In some neighborhoods, shots were fired into the air by SPP supporters, while hooded groups armed with metal rods provoked the protesters.

In this situation, Andrej Vučić, the president's brother and a key figure in the SPP, appeared in "Čačiland" (the tent camp in support of the regime, ed.) opposite the parliament in Belgrade to mobilize his supporters. Shortly afterwards, Aleksandar Vučić himself appeared. He posted a message on Instagram that was both conciliatory and threatening. This appearance was interpreted as a clear signal: to keep up the pressure and remind everyone that the government remains in control, despite the growing anger on the streets.

According to journalist Andrej Ivanžić from Vreme magazine, this evening marks a new phase in the protests: the confrontation now pits part of society against the state and its armed forces. The security forces are overwhelmed, unable to maintain order in several cities at once; the protesters' fear has given way to anger, and the risk of escalation is becoming palpable. The paramilitary mobilization and public presence of members of the presidential family show that the government is militarizing the protection of its representatives.

Serbia has already entered a zone of tension where violence is becoming a visible political tool, and the hitherto peaceful student protests are facing increasingly harsh repression. With the political season approaching, the question is no longer whether new violence will erupt, but how far it will go. I BGNES