We pedal for truth, justice and human rights
08 April 2025
“I joined this ride, looking for justice – like all of us,” said 20-year-old Sofia Janković, speaking to The European Correspondent. “And with the hope that we will finally get it,” she added.
Sofia is one of 80 students and academics who started a “journey of hope” last Thursday, cycling from Novi Sad in northern Serbia to Strasbourg, France. The goal of this more than 1,400 km journey is to deliver an open letter to the EU institutions and draw attention to the ongoing protests in Serbia, calling for concrete action.
Sofia, an architecture student in Belgrade, is one of nine women who joined the ride. “We are all well prepared – physically, mentally, and willing to ride all the way to the end,” she says. The route crosses six countries – Serbia, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Germany and France – and cities like Budapest, Vienna, Salzburg, Munich, Stuttgart, and Karlsruhe. The students will arrive in Strasbourg on 15 April.
The riders carry a clear message: “Neither distance nor obstacles will prevent us from standing up for justice.” Throughout the journey, the students have medical support, logistical coordination and constant contact with fellow students and universities across the EU. In cities like Vienna and Munich, Serbian diaspora members organise welcome events, collect donations for food and supplies, and open their homes to offer shelter.
Sofia is confident their ride will draw attention and spark change in Serbia. “Even in the first city outside of Serbia, Dunaújváros in Hungary, we were welcomed by two students,” she says, recalling the unplanned greeters and their words to the riders: “You’re changing the world.”
 | Konstantin Hadži-Vuković Students have been occupying university buildings for over four months in the largest mass protests in recent Serbian history. The protests began after the roof of the newly renovated Novi Sad railway station collapsed last November, killing 16 people. Since then, demonstrators have embarked on gruelling marches across the country in acts of solidarity, often facing violent attacks from the authorities. Despite the scale of the unrest, the EU has remained largely silent, apart from vague calls for de-escalation and dialogue in its early statements. In February, EU enlargement commissioner Marta Kos expressed concern about reports of violence against demonstrators and called for a full and impartial investigation into the incidents. But many protesters in Serbia feel abandoned. It is this sense of being ignored that the students hope to confront with their ride to Strasbourg – a direct appeal to EU institutions for recognition, support and accountability. |
Welcome to The European Correspondent
Europe lacks true European media: in Germany alone, there are more media devoted exclusively to football than news outlets specialising on Europe. The established players mainly focus on Brussels and European institutions. The European Correspondent aims to change that. We cover the whole of Europe and write for a community of citizens who want to look beyond their own national borders. Without European journalism, there is no European civil society.
〉Read our manifesto
〉The stories we would like to write for you
Become a donor!
The European Correspondent is fully funded by its readers. We can only produce the newsletter with your support - and work towards the bigger project: building true European media. Donate now!
With your help, we can create true European journalism. Thank you!
We are non-profit. Every donated € goes directly into The European Correspondent.