Serbia's biggest student protest movement since the fall of Milošević
14 December 2024
It's late morning in Belgrade, and the streets of Serbia's capital are unusually calm. Students and professors from nearly all universities gather in front of their institutions – a daily ritual in a protest movement that has gripped the nation. What began as mourning for 15 lives lost in the collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad on 1 November has evolved into an anti-government movement.
The tragedy, widely attributed to corruption and negligence, has sparked blockades at over 40 universities and mass demonstrations beyond academic circles. Students hold 15 minutes of silence every Friday in memory of the victims and carry banners with defiant messages: "Everything falls, AND SO WILL YOU," and "If you cut down education, what will be left?" Protesters accuse the government of systemic failures, amplifying their demands for reform. They demand criminal accountability for the deaths from the collapse and a response from authorities over the recent physical and verbal repression of students.
The movement has swiftly grown beyond academic circles and Belgrade. Students and citizens take to the streets, blocking traffic in major cities. By Wednesday, protesters had reached the doors of the Serbian presidency building, and on Thursday evening, students disrupted the evening news outside the headquarters of the Radio Television of Serbia, accusing the broadcaster of ignoring their protests and dismissing claims that participants of the protests are being paid.
 | Konstantin Hadži-Vuković Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić's response – a housing scheme offering young people to purchase €75,000 flats with a down payment of just €1000 – was met with scepticism and derision. Critics see it as a tone-deaf attempt to pacify the youth while ignoring deeper systemic problems. The ongoing protests feel like a wake-up call, echoing the energy and resolve of movements worldwide, such as those in Georgia. What began as mourning has become a powerful demand for accountability, reform, and justice – a movement led by a generation determined to break free from daily state oppression. Refusing to remain silent in the face of corruption and neglect, these young voices are fighting for a future where dignity and fairness replace systemic failure and indifference. |
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