BELGRADE, June 29. /TASS/. Six police officers and two civilians were injured as a result of Saturday’s violent protests in Belgrade, Serbia’s police director Dragan Vailjevic said in an official statement, published by the Interior Ministry’s press service.
According to the official, violence broke out when one group of protestors tried marched towards another group, holding a separate rally.
"Commanders of police units forming a cordon warned participants that they will not be allowed any further. This produced no effect, and an attack on police officers followed," he said. "After the attack, which lasted around five or six minutes, the police was forced to intervene. The police acted with a high degree of professionalism. Minimal force was used only to stop those attacking the police and the state."
"A few dozens of offenders and troublemakers were detained and will be brought to justice in accordance with the law. Regrettably, six officers were injured, and reports about their condition are now being verified. Also, two civilians were wounded. They were admitted to a healthcare facility, and details about their wounds are yet unknown," the police director said.
Nenad Stefanovic, the head of the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade,said earlier that all those responsible for attacks on police officers and governmental institutions will be identified and brought to justice.
The rally in central Belgrade gathered around 36,000 participants, according to Serbia’s interior ministry. Protestors clashed with the police, and riot control weapons were used to drive them away from several streets in the city center.
The Serbian president will make a televised address to the nation at 11:00 a.m. local time on Sunday (9:00 a.m. GMT), the Vecernje novosti newspaper reported.