Serbian Student Protests Sweep the Nation

November 1, 2024. It is a normal, busy afternoon at the railway station in Novi Sad, Serbia. People are waiting to catch their trains. At exactly 11:52 a.m., the concrete canopy structure sitting above the entrance of the station collapses on the ground below. The collapse kills 15 people and seriously injures two more. 

Ever since that day, Serbia has not been the same. 

The canopy collapse was the spark that started a series of mass protests and demonstrations throughout Serbia led by university students. According to The Guardian, these protests are the largest ones in Serbia ever since 1968. As of now, the protests continue and have spread across more than 200 cities and villages in Serbia.

 

 

What do the protesters want?

Since the protests began, protesters have been clear about what they want - government transparency and accountability regarding the canopy’s collapse. However, their demands go deeper than that. According to BBC, the railway station building in Novi Sad was renovated in 2021, and renovated again this year for it to be officially opened on Jul.5.

Lidija Delchev, a Serbian student at the American University in Bulgaria (AUBG), says that the issue started because the government would not take responsibility for what happened back in November. “They wouldn’t publish documentation of the people that are responsible for it. The system is so corrupted. Everything is led by the president and his followers, and the regular people don’t really have any voice. Institutions are not working independently. So that’s what the students are fighting for - the real values and justice, in a way.”

Milan Tomovic, another Serbian student at AUBG, believes that the protests have an underlying cause – corruption in the country and in the political system, and that is what the protesters are trying to change. “We want to hold the responsible people accountable. Necessary legal procedures need to take place for these people to be punished because someone somewhere surely signed off on this.”

Tomovic says that there is a person who is at the center of all that has been going on since the start - the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic. “This directive came from one individual, who’s been in power for more than 12 years. He needs to go for many more reasons aside from this event.”

 

Why are the protests led by students/young people?

The outstanding factor of these protests is that they are led by university students, and essentially, the young people of Serbia. But why did they start from this group of society? 

Magdalena Bernaciak, Professor of Political Science and European Studies at AUBG, says that the younger people in Europe are more likely to be involved in this type of organizational membership and mobilization. “It seems that young people would not be that much involved in traditional forms of political participation. And indeed, the kind of perception of failed governance among that group is particularly strong. So in a way, it’s an ideal combination.’’

Bernaciak also says that there is a generational issue at play here. “It started with the students, and not without a reason. It is the older decision-makers ruining the rule of law in their country and their future. Students are those who express themselves politically, primarily through protests, and who are the most outraged among other age groups when they see non-transparent decision making.”  

Delchev says that one of the reasons is that young people don’t have much to lose from the state, contrary to the older generations. “The president doesn’t have anything to manipulate them with. Older people are afraid they will lose their state jobs because it is very hard to find a job in Serbia. You can be employed in a public institution only if you are voting for the president. They’re guided by the mindset.” 

While the students are not prone to manipulation, this is not the only reason why they have an advantage in protesting, compared to the older generation. 

“It’s a united front. We don’t want this to be politicized or manipulated. None of us are paid off, and all of us are here in good conscience of our own accord to get something done”, says Tomovic. 

 

 

What has happened since the protests began?

Serbia has been in turmoil for almost four months now and although the protests have not stopped, many significant advancements have happened since then.

The most notable outcome since the beginning of the protests was the resignation of Prime Minister Milos Vucevic on Jan. 28. "It is my appeal for everyone to calm down the passions and return to dialogue," Vucevic said, adding that his resignation was aimed at lowering tensions in the country.

Other notable developments seen since the protests began include the resignation of  Minister of Construction, Transport, and Infrastructure Goran Vesic, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Economy Jelena Tanaskovic, Minister of Internal and Foreign Trade Tomislav Momirovic, and Mayor of Novi Sad Milan Duric.

Among the numerous resignations, the documentation regarding the construction of the railway line that collapsed became publicly available. The government also increased the budget for higher education in the country by 20% largely due to mass amounts of the protests being led by students.

 

 

Will this influence Bulgaria and other Balkan countries to protest?

Bernaciak believes this can influence other Balkan countries since the issues in governance are like those in Serbia. “If you check each and every new addition of nations in the Transit Report, the Western Balkans area is one of the regions that experienced the steepest backsliding in terms of democratic quality,” Bernaciak added.

Regarding Bulgaria, Tomovic says that although he is not that familiar with the scene in Bulgaria, he encourages Bulgarians to be active. “They know what is best for them, and if seeing what's going on in my country gives even one Bulgarian person an inspiration to seek change, I fundamentally believe that Bulgaria deserves it.”

“In Serbia, it was the students that kicked off everything, in Bulgaria it could be another group, it doesn't matter. But as long as you get what you need, you fight for what you believe is right, I think you're on a good track,” says Tomovic.

This article has been written by David Mitov and Dua Zhjeqi, AUBG students. It is part of the collaboration between AUBG Daily and the Newsroom course led by Prof. Laura Kelly.