Tens of thousands of Serbians swarmed the streets of the capital Belgrade in preparation for major anti-government rallies planned to take place over the weekend against populist President Aleksandar Vučić.

The rallies are expected to be the biggest in decades. Near daily student protests began in December following the deaths of 15 people when a roof at a railway station collapsed on November 1 in the northern city of Novi Sad, a disaster opponents blame on corruption under Vucic.

Anti-government protesters in the Serbian capital toppled a tractor in the city on Friday night as thousands of people converged on Belgrade on the eve of a major anti-government rally, despite official warnings that violence was planned and populist government fear-mongering aimed at dissuading people from attending.