Belgrade (AFP) - Serbian opposition lawmakers lit flares and set off suspected tear gas grenades in parliament on Tuesday in support of ongoing anti-corruption protests, with several lawmakers injured during the melee.

Footage shared online showed opposition members holding colourful flares and throwing what seemed to be smoke canisters with some appearing to engage in scuffles as the opening spring session began.

A live video feed showed parliamentary speaker Ana Brnabic lambasting the opposition’s protest and the alleged use of “tear gas” in the assembly.

“Your colour revolution has failed, and this country will live, this country will work and this country will continue to win,” she told them, referring to pro-western revolts that shook post-Soviet states in recent decades.

Serbia has been rocked for months by student-led anti-corruption protests after the deadly collapse of a train station roof last year that killed 15 people.

The movement has put increasing pressure on the Serbian government and President Aleksandar Vucic, spurring the resignation of the prime minister in January and other high-ranking officials.

Tuesday’s session was the first since Prime Minister Milos Vucevic stepped down and MPs were set to formalise his resignation.

They were also to debate a new higher education bill that would slash tuition fees for university students – a key demand of the protesters.

But amid chaotic scenes, opposition members launched their protest and threw eggs and water at members of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party.

“Is this how you defend students’ demands?” said speaker Brnabic during the session.

Opposition lawmakers also waved Serbian flags and held signs reading: “You have blood on your hands” and “Fulfil the students’ demands!”

President Vucic slammed the incident during an interview with a local broadcaster on Tuesday evening.

“We will not rest until those who did this are held accountable,” he said, calling for legal action.

Far-right Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban expressed support for Vucic, and blamed “globalist-liberal forces” for attempting to “destabilise sovereign nations” – a common attack made by conservative conspiracists.

“Today’s chaos in the Serbian Parliament - smoke bombs, violence, and obstruction - shows how far they’re willing to go,” he wrote on social media.

- Investigation -

The speaker said that multiple MPs were injured during the incident. Media reports said the number was at least three.

Serbia’s Health Minister Zlatibor Loncar added that one lawmaker was taken to an intensive care unit after suffering a stroke.

Hours later, another fracas erupted in the parliamentary chamber when a fire extinguisher was discharged.

Belgrade’s public prosecutor’s office said it had ordered police to gather evidence to “identify the individuals who brought and used pyrotechnic devices” and find out who else threw objects during the session.

Interior Minister Ivica Dacic later added that legislators who engaged in violence would be held accountable and would not be protected by legal immunity.

In the evening, a special police unit was dispatched to parliament to inspect the building following a bomb threat.

- Months of protests -

The fatal collapse of a railway station roof in the city of Novi Sad in November came after extensive renovations to the building.

It ignited long-simmering anger in the country over corruption and the alleged lack of oversight for construction and development projects.

Vucic and other officials have swung between calling for talks and firing off allegations that the demonstrators are being backed by foreign powers.

To quell the protests, the government has sought to meet several of the student organisers’ demands.

Those steps have included releasing a raft of documents related to the renovations at the station; pardoning protesters arrested at rallies; boosting funding for higher education and launching criminal proceedings against suspects accused of attacking demonstrators.

Outside parliament, students also rallied as the session opened, holding 15 minutes of silence in tribute to the Novi Sad victims.

University students have emerged as the leaders of the protest movement and have been blockading campuses across the country for weeks.

But the student protesters have refrained from making a formal alliance with Serbia’s fractured political opposition.

Protesters have called for another large rally in the capital Belgrade on March 15.