A massive anti-government demonstration in Belgrade, Serbia, on March 15 was disrupted by a mysterious and disturbing noise that sparked panic, and many protesters believe an illegal sonic weapon was used. Witnesses like Sasa Cvrkovic recalled the sound as similar to a jet flying past, causing chaos, including a stampede where one protester broke his leg. Another, Ivana Ilic Sunderic, describes the noise as "like a sound rolling toward us, a whiz," which made people fear something was coming at them. She said the sound lasted just a few seconds, but was "very unusual and very frightening, like a sound from hell." Many say they felt nausea, ear pressure, and headaches through the next day. The protest was part of ongoing anti-corruption demonstrations sparked by the November collapse of a railway station canopy that killed 16.
The Serbian government, led by President Aleksandar Vucic, rebuffed protesters' claims, labeling them "lies and fabrications," the AP reports. Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said photos from the rally that were purported to show an illegal sound cannon actually show nothing more than "loudspeakers" used for warnings. Experts, however, doubt that. One, Thomas Withington, who specializes in electronic warfare, noted the abrupt mass panic seen in protest footage, describing it as like nothing he'd ever seen before. It "does appear to be consistent with people reacting en masse to something that is making them feel deeply unsettled or deeply uncomfortable," he says. The protesters were observing a 15-minute silence in memory of those killed in the canopy collapse when the sound started, with some also describing vibrations that caused disorientation, DW reports. (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)
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