Serbia: Students block intersection in Novi Pazar, police intervene

An incident with police occurred at an intersection in the "Šestovo" neighborhood in Novi Pazar, Serbia, when students wanted to block a bus carrying supporters of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) from leaving for a rally in Belgrade, N1 reports.

"They grabbed both citizens and students by the legs and arms and threw them aside," said Davud Delimeđac, a student from Novi Pazar.

Students say that the police used violent measures, knocking down some of the students, and some were injured.

"The police came, we sat on the floor, passively resisted. The police used force, they literally threw us off the road. Several students were injured, one high school student has head and hand injuries, an ambulance intervened," said Delimeđac.

The police, he points out, received orders to remove them so they could pass.

As Delimeđac, a civil servant, said, an employee from the City Administration cursed the mother and children from the bus before the police acted in their "official duty."

According to him, over 50 students were there, sitting peacefully on the asphalt, and there were also citizens of Novi Pazar, reports N1.

"They ran at us from the bus"

As reported by N1 reporter from Novi Pazar, some of the police have already withdrawn from the roundabout, it is passable for traffic, but there are still police vehicles. Students and citizens are still gathered there.

Student Andrej from Belgrade tells N1 that he was in the front row when the incident occurred.

"The police started to forcefully move us, lift us, drag us along the road... they used force on us. People from the bus also threatened us, ran at us, but the police prevented any major incidents," said this student, whose jacket was torn during the police intervention.