Belgrade, 15 August 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Violent protests against Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić's government continued for a second night on Thursday.

In Novi Sad, the country's second largest city in the north, people smashed windows and broke into two offices of Vučić's Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), removing items from the buildings, according to local media reports.

In the capital Belgrade, SNS supporters threw fireworks at opponents of the government. The mood was chaotic, according to reports.

Interior Minister Ivica Dačić said five police officers were injured and 14 demonstrators were detained.

Vučić, speaking on a television talk show, warned of further arrests and criticized police for failing to take tougher action in Novi Sad.

According to the Serbian news agency Tanjug, one of the vandalized SNS buildings had no police presence at the time of the attack.

Opponents of the government staged demonstrations at more than 30 SNS party premises across the country, facing police barricades and confrontations with party supporters.

The previous evening, clashes between demonstrators on both sides and police using batons had already left dozens injured. Vučić had described the protesters as "thugs and murderers" and said that Belgrade and Novi Sad would be "cleansed" of them, Tanjug reported.

The demonstrations, ongoing for more than nine months, were sparked by the collapse of a newly renovated railway station canopy in Novi Sad on November 1, 2024, when 16 people died.

Independent experts and opposition politicians blamed the tragedy on negligence and systemic corruption under Vučić's administration.

Protesters have called the government corrupt and authoritarian, demanding Vučić's resignation and new elections.

Tensions escalated after supporters of the SNS party attacked anti-government demonstrators in the northern towns of Vrbas and Bačka Palanka on Tuesday, without police intervention.