BELGRADE, Aug 19, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Protesters demanding early elections in Serbia attacked offices of President Aleksandar Vucic's ruling SNS party late Monday, before being pushed back by riot police, an AFP photographer saw.

The generally peaceful anti-government protests underway since November have turned increasingly violent over the past week.

Rioters, often wearing face masks, have damaged or demolished offices of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) in recent days, particularly in Belgrade, Novi Sad, and Valjevo.

After a quiet evening Sunday, several thousand protesters took to the streets of Belgrade and several other cities on Monday evening.

Riot police pushed back demonstrators who had thrown rocks and stun grenades at the SNS office in Belgrade.

There have been regular protests in Serbia since 16 people died when a concrete canopy at the Novi Sad train station collapsed in November 2024.

The mostly student protesters initially demanded a transparent investigation into the tragedy, which they blamed on corruption.

But since May they have also been calling for early elections, which Vucic, who has ruled Serbia since 2014, has rejected, claiming the protests are a foreign plot to overthrow him.