BELGRADE, August 14. /TASS/. More than 80 civilians and 27 police officers were injured last night when protesters attacked the offices of Serbia’s ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), the country’s Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said on Thursday.

"Last night, those who participated in blockades attacked the offices of the Serbian Progressive Party in several locations and in some cases offices of the Socialist Party of Serbia as well. Supporters of the SNS, who didn’t back protesters and had gathered en masse at party’s local offices, were also attacked. The largest number of injured were civilians hurt by participants in the blockades. During the overnight attacks on police, 27 officers were injured, five patrol vehicles were damaged, and 22 pieces of equipment were damaged. According to the Interior Ministry, more than 70-80 people in total were injured by the protesters’ actions. Forty-seven people have been detained, 47 administrative and five criminal reports were written," Dacic said at a press conference.

Overnight to Thursday, protests in several cities were accompanied by attacks on party offices, several buildings were pelted with stones and fireworks. In Novi Sad, members of the military police detachment "Cobras" were attacked by a group of about 100 people, prompting a soldier to fire a warning shot into the air to protect themselves.

The demonstrations took place in Novi Sad, Belgrade, Lazarevac, Pancevo, Kraljevo, as well as near SNS offices in Vrbas and Backa Palanka. Interior Minister Ivica Dacic vowed to detain all those involved in the attacks within 48 hours.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic also noted that the overall number of protesters nationwide was relatively small—about 3,000 in Belgrade and its suburbs, and roughly 1,700 in Novi Sad. Party leader and former prime minister Milos Vucevic stressed that SNS supporters would not allow further attacks on party offices and would be ready to respond to attackers in the future.