Tens of thousands of people swarmed the streets in Serbia's capital Belgrade on Friday, staging a joyful prelude to a major anti-government rally on the weekend and dealing a blow to populist President Aleksandar Vucic.

Serbia’s capital Belgrade is on edge ahead of a major rally this weekend with populist authorities of President Aleksandar Vucic ramping up efforts to dissuade people from attending

Serbia's capital, Belgrade, is tense as it prepares for a major anti-government rally. Populist President Aleksandar Vucic warns of planned violence, intensifying fears of clashes between protesters and government supporters.

Fueling fears of clashes, Vucic's supporters have been camping in central Belgrade in front of his headquarters. The crowd included ex-members of a dreaded paramilitary unit involved in the assassination in 2003 of Serbia's first democratic Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic, as well as soccer hooligans who are known for causing violence.