Chaos Erupts as Serbian Parliament Members Throw Smoke Bombs, Flares

Chaos Erupts as Serbian Parliament Members Throw Smoke Bombs, Flares

NOT NOW, BALKANS. CALM DOWN.

If you’re a history nut like me, you know why I said that!

Opposition lawmakers unleashed smoke bombs, flares, and tear gas in Serbia’s parliament, causing three injuries.

One lawmaker suffered a stroke.

Thankfully, Sonja Ilić, who is eight months pregnant, is okay.

They held signs saying, “General strike!”

The big banner says, “Serbia has risen so the regime would fall!”

Chaos erupts at the Serbian parliament as opposition members threw smoke grenades and tear gas inside. pic.twitter.com/09DvWEU1hM

— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) March 4, 2025

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said the people brought in the weapons in their underwear.

The Associated Press reported that parliament planned to vote to increase university education funding. The opposition lawmakers claimed the ruling party wanted to vote on more measures, insisting such a move is illegal. They demanded parliament “confirm the resignation of Prime Minister Milos Vucevic and his government.”

Serbia has been in a free fall for over a month:

The incident reflects a deep political crisis in Serbia where monthslong anti-corruption protests have rattled a populist government.

Vucevic resigned in January as the government faced protests over the collapse in November of a concrete train station canopy in the Serbia’s north that killed 15 people and which critics blamed on rampant corruption. Parliament must confirm the prime minister’s resignation for it to take effect.

A rise in education funding has been one of the demands by Serbia’s protesting students who have been a key driving force behind almost daily street protests that started after the Nov. 1 canopy collapse in Novi Sad.

Protests have not stopped despite the prime minister’s resignation.

A shaky Serbia is never good, but Kosovo just had an election. Yeah…it’s impossible to talk about one without the other.

Serbia still rejects Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence.

Well, Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s Self-Determination Movement (LVV) won the election but without a majority. But no one wants to form a coalition with him..yet, the opposition likely doesn’t have enough to form a coalition.

Kurti has faced international criticism for the way his government treats ethnic Serbs, including from Republicans and Democrats:

Kurti’s moves have been criticized by the previous U.S. administration and the EU, who argued that they were not coordinated with Kosovo’s international partners and have made life harder for the country’s ethnic Serbs.

Richard Grenell, who served as special envoy for the Serbia and Kosovo talks in U.S. President Donald Trump’s first administration, wrote on X that the “Kurti Government was not trustworthy during Trump’s first term, nor during Biden’s term.” According to Grenell, both “Republicans and Democrats have criticized Kurti consistently for taking unilateral actions that destabilize the region.”

The instability in Kosovo and Serbia likely means no talks between the countries will continue soon.

At least these problems are internal and not aimed at each other?

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