Belgrade: Serbian police charged six people on Thursday after a folk singer, linked to the government, was pelted with snowballs and booed during a performance marking the Orthodox New Year.
Police said the accused had hurled "icy snowballs" at Ana Bekuta, who was the partner of a deceased senior political figure, and her band during a concert on Tuesday night in the city of Cacak, about 100 kilometres (62 miles) south of Belgrade.
In several videos shared online, snowballs can be seen flying from the crowd onto the stage, hitting the singer and musicians as whistles and boos drown out the performance.
According to local media, Bekuta was forced to finish the concert while sheltering in a van.
The 66-year-old singer was the partner of Milutin Mrkonjic, who died in 2021 and was a senior figure in the party of strongman Slobodan Milosevic.
"A pointless and unnecessary concert is being organised with our money to mark the Orthodox New Year, costing all of us 40,000 euros ($46,500)," protest organisers published on their Instagram ahead of the performance.
Government figures seized on the incident to decry protesters and call for retribution, repeating lines similar to those used against a year-long anti-corruption movement in the country.
"It is a warning to the citizens of Serbia of what the blockaders would do if they came to power," Vucic told state broadcaster RTS, referring to the student-led protest movement.
The president is facing ongoing calls to hold snap elections after a deadly train station roof collapse in November 2024 sparked long-running demonstrations in the country.
"Snowball fights should be a criminal offence? Impossible. I think they're just trying to intimidate other cities so they won't be like the people of Cacak," activist Slavica Petrovska told broadcaster N1 after the arrests.
