A physical altercation broke out in the Serbian parliament on November 25, as ruling party MPs, opposition members and ministers clashed during the second regular sitting of the legislative session. The disturbance prompted security personnel to intervene.

The incident reflected the heightened political tensions in Serbia, following weeks of opposition protests in response to the Novi Sad train station disaster on November 1, which left 15 dead and two seriously injured.

The altercation occurred before any formal debate could begin, during the opening of the session that was set to address the 2025 national budget among over 50 other items on the agenda.

Tensions flared when several opposition MPs held up banners that read "Your hands are bloody" and "Corruption Kills", while government MPs stood with banners that read "Yellow scumbgs and corruption is your middle name". The clash quickly escalated, and security was called to separate the opposing sides.

Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic cut off all microphones to prevent the public broadcast of the altercation. She briefly restored audio to call for "peace, dignity, and the continuation of the meeting". However, the damage had already been done, as chaos disrupted the session.

State-aligned media outlets accused opposition leader Dragan Djilas, head of the Freedom and Justice Party, of instigating the violence. Video footage appears to show Djilas pushing and hitting another MP during the altercation.

The opposition, on the other hand, claims that ruling party MPs were the most active in the conflict. A photo shows Bojan Torbica, Socialist Movement MP, pulling a punch on opposition MPs.

This latest outbreak of violence is not an isolated incident. Physical confrontations have occurred multiple times in the Serbian parliament in recent years, underscoring the fractious nature of the country’s political landscape and raising concerns over the erosion of civility and decorum in its political institutions.