Two rival gatherings were held in Niš on Thursday, with students and supporters of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) assembling at separate locations following the detention of law student Mateja Nikolić.
Students had organized a gathering and press conference in support of Nikolić, a student at the Faculty of Law in Niš who was detained the previous evening during pre-election activities involving the Students’ List.
At the same time, SNS activists gathered across the street from the students and set up party stands in front of the National Theatre.
Tensions rose between the two groups, resulting in pushing and shoving. A larger incident was avoided after police officers positioned themselves between student marshals and SNS activists, according to N1.
Police remained deployed at the intersection near the National Theatre as the gatherings continued.
Nikolić was detained on Wednesday after an SNS activist reported him to police for allegedly assaulting her during campaign activities. His lawyer, Vladan Mančić, told N1 that there were no grounds for the detention and that Nikolić had neither pushed nor struck anyone.
Mančić said the incident occurred at an intersection near the courthouse where surveillance cameras are installed. The defense has requested access to the footage to establish what happened.
The lawyer also alleged that Nikolić’s detention was politically motivated and part of what he described as an effort to portray representatives of the Students’ List as violent.
Earlier Thursday, a call circulated on social media urging citizens to gather outside the courthouse, where Nikolić’s lawyer was scheduled to address the media.
Retired Niš professor Natalija Jovanović has also spoken publicly about incidents during pre-election activities in the city. She alleged that she was attacked by the same woman who reported Nikolić to police.
The allegations surrounding the incidents have not been independently established, while police and judicial authorities are expected to determine the circumstances of the case.
