Tear gas fired at thousands of protesters in Serbia demanding free elections and justice

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NOVI SAD, Serbia (AP) — Baton-wielding riot police in a northern Serbia town on Friday fired tear gas and charged at thousands of peaceful protesters who were demanding free elections and justice after months of demonstrations against the autocratic rule of President Aleksandar Vucic.

The protest led by university students came more than 10 months after a concrete canopy collapsed at a train station in the town of Novi Sad, killing 16 people. The disaster ignited a wave of public outrage over alleged state corruption and negligence, which demonstrators cite as causes of the collapse.

There were no immediate reports of injuries in Friday's chaos triggered by the police action. Ambulances could be seen driving through Novi Sad's streets. Police ordered that some of the protesters, including journalists, lay flat down on the street in handcuffs as police demanded they identify themselves.

“Police were just doing their job and they did it strictly professionally,” Vucic said. He described the protesters as “cowards and scum,” while also lashing out at a group of European politicians present at the rally.

Vucic, who has said he wants to take Serbia to the European Union, has branded the protesters as terrorists who want to unseat him with the help of the West. He attended a gathering earlier this week in China that included Russian President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of China and North Korea, along with the Belarus and Iranian presidents.

University students have been a key force behind nationwide protests to demand a free media, early elections and criminal prosecutions against those responsible for the canopy collapse.

Dozens of university professors, deans and high school teachers have been sacked in the past months as authorities crack down on supporters of the students. They have been replaced by Vucic’s loyalists.

The protest on Friday centered around a university building that was taken over by Vucic's loyalists and police over a week ago.

Protesters in Novi Sad on Friday chanted “We want elections,” and “Vucic leave” as they vowed to defend the autonomy of the university.

Shielded riot officers initially guarded some of the university buildings but reinforcements later arrived in anti-riot vehicles before marching toward the protesters. The city streets were engulfed in tear gas and smoke from stun grenades and flares as police chased the protesters away from the campus.

The blitz police intervention reflects the increasingly tough response from Vucic to the protests. Vucic has refused to schedule a snap parliamentary vote requested by the demonstrators.

Vucic has offered no evidence for the claims that the protests have been incited from abroad. Scores of students and other people have been jailed and beaten during the protests, drawing international criticism of Vucic’s government.

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AP writers Jovana Gec and Dusan Stojanovic contributed to this report from Belgrade, Serbia