A PRIDE march in Serbia’s capital on Saturday slammed police violence against anti-government protesters while offering support to university students behind continuing demonstrations against President Aleksandar Vucic.

Organisers said the event in Belgrade was a protest, without festival-style features. Participants instead held a commemorative silence that has marked the past 10 months of student-led demonstrations challenging Mr Vucic.

One of the banners at the gathering in central Belgrade read “Gays against police state!” while another used the “Pump it up!” rallying call of the student-led movement that has drawn hundreds of thousands of people against the president.

The protests started last November when a concrete canopy collapsed at a train station in Serbia’s north, killing 16 people. The disaster ignited a wave of anti-corruption demonstrations alleging negligence as its cause.

Mr Vucic has rejected a student demand for a snap parliamentary election. 

On Friday evening, police used tear gas to disperse thousands of protesters in the northern city of Novi Sad who gathered at the university campus.

Police said they responded to “massive attacks” from masked protesters who threw flares and various objects at them. 

University students behind the protest accused the police of launching “brutal attacks on their own citizens.”

Dozens of people were injured in the chaos as riot police reportedly charged at the protesters to push them away from the campus, sending many fleeing in panic and falling. 

Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said 13 officers were injured and at least 42 protesters detained.

Police on Saturday secured the Belgrade Pride march that has been marred in the past by violent attacks from right-wing extremists. No incidents were reported.

Members of Serbia’s LGBT community routinely face harassment in the highly conservative country. 

Serbia is formally seeking European Union membership, but has done little to boost LGBT rights.