In the Serbian parliament, opposition lawmakers threw smoke bombs and flares into the chamber to protest government policies and support student demonstrations. The parliament session, the first in over 3 months in Serbia where anti-government protests have been ongoing, turned chaotic.
Tensions escalated when the ruling coalition, led by the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), accepted the agenda of the session that the opposition objected to.
A scuffle broke out between opposition lawmakers and security officials, with the opposition MPs throwing red and black smoke bombs and flares into the chamber and unfurling banners stating “Serbia is rising against the regime.”
The chaos briefly intensified when both ruling and opposition lawmakers started throwing eggs at each other, turning the room into a battlefield.
Some lawmakers fainted due to the smoke bombs thrown.
Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic announced that lawmaker Jasmina Obradovic had to leave the session due to the smoke bombs and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. Brnabic also mentioned that another pregnant MP was affected by the smoke bombs.
Despite the turmoil, Brnabic emphasized that the parliament would continue its work, stating, “If you want the struggle for Serbia to stop, you need to kill us.” She addressed the opposition by saying, “You have to kill us. You can’t stop us any other way. I will continue working. I will continue working for Serbia.”
Ministers began presenting proposed laws to the parliament despite the smoke bombs and chaos, with opposition members trying to disrupt the session by whistling and chanting during speeches.
Student protests in Serbia began four months ago after a train station roof collapse resulted in the death of 15 people.