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Serbian police used teargas to disperse protesters against the government

Serbian police used tear gas and stun grenades on a campus of a university in Novi Sad, to disperse demonstrators who were demanding a snap election they hoped would remove president Aleksandar Vucic from power and his ruling Serbian Progressive Party.

On Friday night, thousands of students gathered on the campus of the State University. They held banners that read "We don't need blockades; we just want elections" and "Students demand elections urgently."

The crowd shouted, "Vucic Leave!"

Police used teargas to disperse the crowd. Protesters also threw flares in the air.

Vucic's SNS party and Serbians have been rattled by months of protests in Serbia, including the blockades at state universities. The protests were sparked last November when 16 people died after the roof of a renovated train station collapsed.

The protests were mostly peaceful, until August 13, when clashes between police and civilians resulted in the injuries of dozens.

The protesters are calling for early elections to remove Vucic from power and have accused the corruption of the Novi Sad train station disaster.

Students, anti-corruption groups and opposition groups have accused Vucic of having ties with organized crime, using violent tactics against political opponents, and suppressing freedom of the media - accusations they deny.

Nebojsa Krac, one of the protesters, said: "The solution to this problem is to hold elections."

"We want to see peace and democracy prevail and that political institutions do their jobs." This will mean calling elections. The government will then change. Reporting by Fedja and Branko Grulovic; Writing by Ivana Skularac; Editing Alistair Bell

(source: Reuters)