Police charge Belgrade demo; Stefanovic on 'violence'

Police fired tear gas to disperse rock-throwing protesters in Serbia's capital on Wednesday as violence erupted for the second day in a row during demonstrations against the president's handling of the country's coronavirus outbreak.

President Aleksandar Vucic backtracked on his plans to reinstate a coronavirus lockdown in Belgrade this week, but it didn't stop people from firing flares and throwing stones while trying to storm the downtown parliament building.

A number of people were injured during clashes in front of the parliament that started peacefully but soon turned violent, fueling tensions in the Balkan country, which is battling a surge in virus infection cases.

Police intervened in Belgrade city centre to push back the demonstrators as night fell.

Serbia's Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic decried the "complete violence", adding that it was "without the will of the people".