Riot police in the Serbian capital Wednesday separated opponents and loyalists of the country's autocratic President Aleksandar Vucic, as both staged rallies in front of the parliament building.

Several thousand people faced off on both sides of a police cordon, with officers in full riot gear standing in several rows between the crowds.

Anti-government protesters in Belgrade gathered in support of Dijana Hrka, the mother of one of the 16 people killed in a collapse at Novi Sad train station last year.

Hrka on Sunday said she was beginning a hunger strike near a tent camp outside the parliament building, which has been occupied by Vucic’s loyalists since March.

Protesters believe that the concrete construction at the renovated station building in Novi Sad collapsed because rampant corruption and nepotism in state infrastructure projects with China led to fatal disregard of safety rules.

No one has been held responsible though 13 people have been charged.

Hrka said she was seeking accountability for the death of her son and the 15 other victims.

She has also demanded that all protesters detained in demonstrations following the collapse be released and that Vucic schedule early parliamentary elections.

Vucic set up the loyalists' camp ahead of a major rally in Belgrade in March.

The enclosed zone colloquially known as “Caciland" apparently serves as a human shield for Vucic, filling a park and a street between his office and the parliament building.

Police have guarded the camp while the area has been off limits for the residents of Belgrade.

A shooting incident there last month has triggered fears of violence.

Authorities have cracked down on the protesters in recent months, with hundreds detained and police breaking up protests.

Pro-government media and officials have branded protesting university students as “terrorists,” accusing them of inciting violence.