Police arrest 71 people in protest against isolation measures in Serbia.
On Tuesday (7), the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, announced the return of the curfew in the country between Friday (10) and Monday (13), amid the advance of the new coronavirus pandemic in the country.
Sputnik - At least 71 people were detained during a demonstration in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, on Friday night (10).
The information was reported by the director of the Serbian police, Vladimir Rebic, this Saturday (11).
"Last night, 14 police officers were injured and 71 hooligans were arrested, and up to 130 police officers […] have been injured since the start of the violent protests," Rebic told reporters.
The police director stressed that allegations of police brutality will be investigated.
The demonstration, held in the area of the Serbian parliament, was a protest against the possibility of reimposing social restriction measures due to the novel coronavirus.
On Tuesday (7), the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, announced the return of the curfew in the country between Friday (10) and Monday (13), amid the worsening of the COVID-19 pandemic situation in the country.
Following the announcement, around five thousand people gathered in central Belgrade to protest the measure. Since then, demonstrations have been taking place daily. The wave of protests in Belgrade is marked by scenes of vandalism and clashes with the police. Estimated damages already total around 1 million euros.
On Friday night (10), protesters destroyed a fence placed near the Serbian national parliament and threw stones at the police, who responded with tear gas and stun grenades.
Serbia has 17.728 confirmed cases and 370 deaths caused by the disease, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.