Tens of thousands of demonstrators filled the streets of Belgrade and Madrid on May 23, demanding the resignation of their respective governments in two of the largest European protest actions of the year. Both rallies ended with clashes near government buildings, but the movements behind them differ in almost every other respect: Serbia's is a student-led, anti-corruption uprising rooted in a deadly infrastructure disaster, while Spain's is a right-wing mobilization fueled by a cascade of judicial corruption investigations targeting the prime minister's inner circle [1][2][8][7].
Serbia's rally in Belgrade renewed calls for early elections that have animated the country's protest movement since the November 2024 collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad, which killed 16 people [1][4][8]. Police estimated 34,000 attendees; an independent archive cited by French media put the figure above 100,000 [5][24]. Andjela, a 24-year-old architecture student, told reporters: "The goal of today's protest is for all of us to gather again and to make it clear to people that we are still here, that we are fighting and working, that we have not and will not stop" [4]. Pensioner Zoran Savic said Serbia "must become a democratic state" where "the rule of law must be present for everyone" [4]. Ivan Milosavljevic, a demonstrator from eastern Serbia, stated that after a year and a half of protests, "people have not given up" and would continue "until this anti-people regime is removed" [4].
Multiple outlets reported that Serbian state railways cancelled all train services on the day of the rally, citing a bomb alert that organizers and journalists characterized as a deliberate tactic to prevent citizens from travelling to Belgrade [1][5][6][8][12]. The cancellation added to a pattern of alleged government obstruction that has drawn international scrutiny. The Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O'Flaherty, warned of worsening conditions in Serbia, citing attacks on journalists and activists, reports of police violence during protests, arrests of peaceful demonstrators, and degrading treatment in custody [1][4][5][8][24]. University rector Mirjana Nikolic publicly denounced government pressure on universities and the ruling party's control over public media, adding an institutional dimension to the movement's grievances [5].
President Aleksandar Vucic and his government rejected the protesters' demands. Vucic wrote on Instagram that those who attacked police after the rally would be "identified and prosecuted in accordance with the law" [4]. He added: "Rien ne va changer, l'État fonctionne et continuera à faire son travail selon la Constitution et les lois…" (Nothing will change; the state functions and will continue to do its work according to the constitution and laws…) [5]. On the German public broadcaster ARD, he was quoted saying protesters had "once again, as so often before, revealed their violent nature" ("Wie schon so oft zuvor, kehrten sie ihre gewalttätige Natur hervor") [6]. Interior Minister Ivica Dacic reported 23 arrests and an unspecified number of injured police officers after masked men threw fireworks and projectiles at security forces [6]. German and French outlets noted that in previous protests, infiltrated provocateurs had committed similar acts of violence, complicating the attribution of post-rally clashes [6][5]. Pro-government Serbian media labelled critics as terrorists and foreign agents [8][13].
Across the Mediterranean, a separate protest in Madrid drew tens of thousands demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez over corruption allegations involving his wife Begoña Gómez, his brother David Sánchez, former minister José Luis Ábalos, and former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero [7][9]. Organizers from the Sociedad Civil Española claimed 80,000 attendees according to some outlets [2][15], while Al Jazeera and ANSA reported organizers claiming 120,000 [7][23]; the government delegation estimated 40,000 [2][15]. Voice of America, framing the event as a right-wing rally, reported organizers claiming 400,000 participants against an official estimate of 25,000 [16]. The discrepancy in crowd figures remains unresolved.
The Madrid march was backed by the conservative Partido Popular and the far-right Vox party [3][23]. Vox leader Santiago Abascal stated: "There is no one left in Pedro Sanchez's circle who has not been accused of very serious crimes. Spain is being held hostage by a corrupt mafia" [7]. He announced his party had requested provisional prison for Zapatero and the summoning of several ministers as witnesses [3]. Euractiv reported that the protest manifesto also denounced the government's deals with Catalan and Basque nationalist parties [17]. A small group attempted to breach barriers near Sánchez's official residence at Moncloa, resulting in three arrests and seven injured police officers [2][15].
Sánchez dismissed the allegations as an attempt by the right wing to undermine his coalition [2][7]. Begoña Gómez denied charges of embezzlement, influence peddling, and misappropriation of funds [2][7]. David Sánchez denied wrongdoing regarding influence-peddling allegations [2]. Zapatero, placed under formal investigation for influence peddling and other crimes related to the Plus Ultra airline bailout during the pandemic, also denied any wrongdoing and is scheduled to testify in court on June 2 [7][9]. PP Senate spokesperson Alicia García acknowledged the party lacks the four votes needed for a successful no-confidence motion: "En este momento no vamos a regalar una victoria a Pedro Sánchez con una moción fallida, en ningún caso" (At this moment we will not gift Pedro Sánchez a victory with a failed motion, under no circumstances) [3].
The two protest movements share a demand for government removal but diverge in composition and international framing. Serbia's movement is broadly civic and cross-generational, drawing students, pensioners, and academics, and has attracted concern from the Council of Europe over democratic backsliding in an EU candidate country [8][24]. Spain's mobilization is explicitly partisan, organized by right-wing civil-society groups with the open support of PP and Vox, and has not drawn comparable international institutional scrutiny [3][17]. No EU institutional actors — the European Commission or European Parliament — were quoted in any of the coverage on either country's protests, despite the direct relevance of EU governance standards to both situations.
Meanwhile, a parallel crisis in Bolivia saw massive protests and blockades demanding the resignation of President Rodrigo Paz over rising living costs and broken campaign promises. Former President Evo Morales called for new elections within 90 days, stating: "Es geht nicht mehr nur um Evo. Es geht um das Volk…" (It is no longer just about Evo. It is about the people…) [10]. Paz rejected calls for his removal and proposed a cabinet reshuffle and a social-economic council incorporating indigenous groups, farmers, miners, and workers [10].
Vucic has suggested early elections could be held in April, May, or December of next year, with December as his preference [19]. Zapatero's court testimony on June 2 may shape the next phase of Spain's political confrontation [9]. Whether any of the three protest movements translates street pressure into institutional change remains an open question across all three countries.