Eight police officers were injured and 38 people were arrested during and after an opposition protest against the election results, Serbian police said on Monday, Reuters reported.

Protest in Belgrade. Anti-government demonstrators demand the cancellation of the electionsPhoto: IMAGO / imago stock&people / Profimedia

Thousands of people gathered on Sunday in the center of Belgrade to demand the cancellation of parliamentary and local elections a week ago, which international observers called irregular, writes Agerpres.

Demonstrators smashed windows at the main entrance to Belgrade’s town hall before police used pepper spray to disperse them around 10:00 p.m. local time (9:00 p.m. GMT).

PHOTO: IMAGO / imago stock&people / Profimedia

The head of the police department, Ivica Ivkovych, said that two of the eight injured policemen were seriously injured.

“We will continue to make efforts to maintain peace and order, and we expect new arrests in connection with last night’s protests,” Ivkovic said at a press conference.

Opposition parties accused the police of excessive use of force, and social media posted videos of policemen beating people on the streets near the town hall.

Prime Minister Ana Brnabych thanked the Russian special service for providing information about the planned activities of the opposition. “It will not be popular in the West,” Brnabic of Serbia’s ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) said on a television show.

Serbia, which is seeking to join the EU, resisted Western pressure to impose sanctions against Russia.

Moscow has been one of Serbia’s closest allies for decades, especially after 1999, when Russia opposed NATO air strikes on Yugoslavia.

An international monitoring mission announced last Monday that SNS had gained an unfair advantage due to media favoritism, undue influence of President Aleksandar Vučić and election irregularities such as voter bribery.

The Serbian authorities deny any irregularities in the elections.

The opposition, led by the center-left Alliance Serbia Against Violence, says protests will continue on Monday and students plan to block the movement.

According to the preliminary results of the election commission, the ruling SNA party won 46.72% of the votes in the upcoming parliamentary elections last weekend. Serbia Against Violence came in second with 23.56% of the vote, while the Socialist Party of Serbia came in third with 6.56% of the vote.