BELGRADE, Serbia >> At least three lawmakers were injured on Tuesday, one of them seriously, after chaotic scenes in Serbia’s parliament, during which smoke bombs and flares were thrown, further fueling political tensions in the Balkan country.

Lawmakers were scheduled to vote on a law that would increase funding for university education, but opposition parties said the ruling majority was also planning to approve dozens of other decisions. They said that was illegal and that lawmakers should first confirm the resignation of Prime Minister Milos Vucevic and his government.

Chaos erupted about an hour after the parliamentary session started, with opposition lawmakers blowing whistles and holding up a banner reading “Serbia has risen so the regime would fall!” Hundreds of opposition supporters rallied outside the parliament building during the session.

Video footages from the assembly hall showed clashes between lawmakers and flares and smoke bombs being thrown. Serbian media said eggs and water bottles also were thrown.

Officials later said three people were injured in the disturbance, including lawmaker Jasmina Obradovic who was taken to hospital. Parliament speaker Ana Brnabic, who accused the opposition of being a “terrorist gang.”

Defense Minister Bratislav Gasic described those behind the incident as “a disgrace to Serbia.”

“The vandalism of opposition MPs has exposed the nature of their personalities and the essence of their political agenda,” Gasic said.

Serbia’s populist President Aleksandar Vucic visited Obradovic in hospital. “Jasmina will win, Serbia will win,” Vucic said in a post on Instagram, showing him holding the lawmaker’s hand in an emergency room.