In November 2024, mass protests erupted in
Novi Sad
Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; #Name, see below for other names) is the List of cities in Serbia, second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pannoni ...
after the
collapse of the city's railway station canopy, which killed 16 people and left one severely injured. By March 2025, the protests had spread to 400 cities and towns across Serbia and were ongoing. Led by university students, the protests call for accountability for the disaster.
The protests began with student-led blockades of educational institutions, starting on 22 November at the
Faculty of Dramatic Arts
The Faculty of Dramatic Arts (; abbreviated FDU) is a constituent institution of the University of Arts in Belgrade which focuses on education and research in the fields of film, theatre, dramaturgy, culture, radio, acting and medias. It was esta ...
after students were attacked during a silent tribute to the victims of the 1 November collapse. Other faculties and high schools soon joined in. Protesters also stage daily "Serbia, stop" ()
traffic blockades from 11:52 am to 12:08 pm—the time of the collapse—symbolizing the 16 lives lost, accompanied with
silent protest
Silent may mean:
People
* Brandon Silent (born 1973), South African former footballer
* Charles Silent (1842-1918), German-born American jurist
* List of people known as the Silent
Music
* Silent (band), a Brazilian rock band
* The Silents, an Au ...
. As well as daily protests, several large-scale student protests were organized, in the university centers Novi Sad (1 February),
Kragujevac
Kragujevac ( sr-Cyrl, Крагујевац, ) is the List of cities in Serbia, fourth largest city in Serbia and the administrative centre of the Šumadija District. It is the historical centre of the geographical region of Šumadija in central Se ...
(15 February),
Niš
Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names of European cities in different languages (M–P)#N, names in other languages), less often spelled in English as Nish, is the list of cities in Serbia, third largest city in Serbia and the administrative cente ...
(1 March) and
Belgrade
Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
(22 December and 15 March). Other
protest action
A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration, or remonstrance) is a public act of objection, disapproval or dissent against political advantage. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooperation in which numerous people cooperate ...
s were staged, including
walking protests, a protest biking race from Belgrade to
Strasbourg
Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...
, and the blockade of the
Radio Television of Serbia
The Serbian Broadcasting Corporation, more commonly referred to as Radio Television of Serbia (), or RTS (), is the state-owned public radio and television broadcaster of Serbia. RTS has four organizational units – radio, television, music pro ...
that severely disrupted their programs.
As of April 2025, most of the public and many private universities remain in student-led blockades, as are many high schools.
Background
On 1 November 2024, the canopy of the
Novi Sad railway station collapsed, killing 14 people on the spot and leaving three with injuries; one of the injured died on 17 November 2024 and another would die later, on 21 March 2025. The collapse led to widespread public concern in Serbia, with many questioning the structural integrity and maintenance oversight of public infrastructure. Authorities launched an investigation into the causes of the incident, but public frustration grew due to lack of accountability in the response. The station building was constructed in 1964, and was renovated from 2021 to mid-2024 with support from
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
's
Belt and Road Initiative
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI or B&R), known in China as the One Belt One Road and sometimes referred to as the New Silk Road, is a global infrastructure development strategy adopted by the government of China in 2013 to invest in more t ...
. The official cause of the collapse is still under investigation with government corruption and opaque
dealings with Chinese contractors blamed.
Protests
Early post-disaster dissent
Early protests primarily took the form of quiet vigils for victims of the collapse.
However, these protests began to morph into larger and angrier demonstrations, with demonstrators accusing police and local authorities of negligence and
corruption
Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...
. Protesters began demanding a transparent investigation into the collapse, and the release of documents related to the incident. The
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City.
Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
suggested that the collapse has also served as a flash point for expressions of dissatisfaction with the Serbian government as a whole.
The President
Aleksandar Vučić
Aleksandar Vučić, (born 5 March 1970) is a Serbian politician serving as President of Serbia since 2017. A founding member of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), he previously served as President of the SNS from 2012 to 2023, Deputy Prim ...
, Minister of Construction
Goran Vesić and the pro-government news outlets initially claimed the canopy was never reconstructed, even though news articles and videos about the reconstruction were still available online, showing Vesić officially opening the reconstructed Novi Sad Railway Station. Faced with accusations and public outrage, Vesić announced his resignation, but stated that "he does not feel responsible".
Some initial demonstrations escalated into acts of vandalism, with the
Novi Sad City Hall being a primary target. Red paint was thrown on the city hall entrance and attempts were made to breach the building. Law enforcement responded with tear gas and arrests, further inflaming tensions. Protesters suggested that these and other violent demonstrations were the result of government plants seeking to derail the protests.
Initial political fallout and arrests
On 20 November, current Minister of Trade and former Minister of Construction
Tomislav Momirović
Tomislav Momirović (; born 17 October 1983) is a Serbian businessman and politician who served as minister of internal and foreign trade from 2022 to 2024. A member of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), he served as minister of construction, ...
resigned from the ministerial function. In his resignation letter, he pledged his "eternal loyalty to president Vučić".
On 21 November,
Vladimir Đukanović, a high-ranking member of the ruling
Serbian Progressive Party
The Serbian Progressive Party (, SNS) is a major populist, catch-all party, catch-all List of political parties in Serbia, political party in Serbia. It has been the Ruling party, ruling party since 2012. Miloš Vučević, the former prime mi ...
(SNS), commented on the protests on his
Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
account: "We must fight against anarcho-terrorists, fake commie intellectuals, the pseudo-elite that is ravaging Serbia with anti-Serbian attitudes. It is time to stop this social scum. In every place and at every step. First of all, in every discussion, and God forbid, if necessary, with force. This scum will no longer be able to terrorize this country. Long live Serbia and just fight bravely". On the same day, former Minister Vesić was arrested along with 11 unspecified persons, but was let go after six days, and kept his party rank within the SNS.
Blockade of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts and growth of the protests
On 22 November, students and professors of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts gathered in the immediate vicinity of the Faculty to pay homage to the fatalities in Novi Sad. The meeting was announced to the authorities in accordance with the law. At the gathering both the students and the professors were attacked by an organized group.
Some members of the group were allegedly high-ranking officials of the ruling party SNS.
After the attack on 25 November, the students began an occupation of the faculty in protest. The Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad, joined by the
Faculty of Philosophy
A faculty is a division within a university or college comprising one subject area or a group of related subject areas, possibly also delimited by level (e.g. undergraduate). In North America, academic divisions are sometimes titled colleges, sc ...
, the
Faculty of Philology, the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and the
Faculty of Political Sciences in Belgrade, followed shortly after.
One of the November demonstrations in Novi Sad drew 20,000 protesters, making it the largest protest in the city in decades.
Demonstrators held weekly 15-minute traffic blockade protests on Fridays at 11:52 am, the time of the collapse. Cars, some of whose occupants are allegedly affiliated with the SNS, struck protesters during these blockades.
On 22 November, the students and citizens of
Leskovac
Leskovac ( sr-Cyrl, Лесковац, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Jablanica District in Southern Serbia (Geographical Region), southern Serbia. According to the 2022 census, the city itself has a p ...
, in southern Serbia, organized a protest. It started with 15 minutes of silence in honor of the victims of the canopy collapse, and was attended by the mayor of Leskovac, Goran Cvetanović, himself a member of SNS. However, the mayor later retracted his support, calling the protesters "students with bad grades" and sharing their school grades with the public, in violation of the Serbian data protection law.
In late November, an audio recording was leaked to the press, allegedly with the voice of
Damir Zobenica
Damir Zobenica ( sr-cyr, Дамир Зобеница; born April 15, 1981) is a Serbian politician in who has served in the Assembly of Vojvodina from 2012 to 2024 and has been a vice-president of the Assembly from 2016 to 2024. Zobenica is a memb ...
, a high-ranking official of the ruling party, advising other party members to insult and attack the protesters blocking the roads. Zobenica resigned soon after the leak.
On 1 December, a silent march was held in Novi Sad to commemorate one month since the collapse. On the same day, President
Aleksandar Vučić
Aleksandar Vučić, (born 5 March 1970) is a Serbian politician serving as President of Serbia since 2017. A founding member of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), he previously served as President of the SNS from 2012 to 2023, Deputy Prim ...
publicly said that those who ask for the arrest of the car driver who hit the protesters are "out of their minds", because "the driver was just going on his way".
Spread of the blockading tactic and first concessions
By early December, Serbian students had begun organizing 24-hour blockades at some school campuses.
By mid-December, more than 50 university campuses (including the three biggest universities of
Belgrade
Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
,
Novi Sad
Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; #Name, see below for other names) is the List of cities in Serbia, second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pannoni ...
and
Niš
Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names of European cities in different languages (M–P)#N, names in other languages), less often spelled in English as Nish, is the list of cities in Serbia, third largest city in Serbia and the administrative cente ...
) and multiple secondary schools had suspended classes due to student protests.
On 5 December, the Bar Association of Serbia announced that the lawyers will organize a one-day strike on 11 December because of "systematic and long-term interference by the executive branch in the work of the judiciary branch and violation of the principle of separation of powers in a democratic society."
On 6 December, during a 15-minute blockade in downtown Belgrade, a car drove through the crowd, injuring four members of the
Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra
The Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra () is an orchestra located in Belgrade, Serbia. It is regularly considered one of the finest in the country.
History
Unlike most European countries and cities, Serbia and Belgrade were rather late in receivin ...
who were protesting. The Orchestra condemned the attack and the driver was arrested.
On 11 December, students demonstrated at the headquarters of the public television station
RTS, for their broadcasting of President Aleksandar Vučić's claims that demonstrators are being funded by Western countries who seek to destabilize Serbia.
The same day, Vučić made concessions including promising that all prosecutorial documents related to the disaster would be publicized, announced that all currently held protesters were released, and pledged to pardon any protesters if they were convicted at trial. While the concessions marked the first time since Vučić's rise to power in 2012 that any concessions were made to protesters, they did not include the protest's calls for his resignation.
On 12 December, in
Čačak
Čačak ( sr-Cyrl, Чачак, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Moravica District in central Serbia. It is located in the West Morava Valley. According to the 2022 census, the city itself has a population ...
, students of the Faculty of Technical Sciences and the Agronomic Faculty organized a protest, which began with 15 minutes of silence.
Widening mobilization
On 13 December, farmers in central Serbia blocked the
Ibar Highway
State Road 22, commonly known as Ibar Highway ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Ибарска магистрала, Ibarska magistrala), is an IB-class road, connecting Belgrade with Šumadija and Western Serbia and finally with Montenegro at Špiljani border cro ...
with tractors.
That same day, in Novi Sad, a group of four hooligans tried to ram their
Porsche Cayenne
The Porsche Cayenne is a series of automobiles manufactured by the German company Porsche since 2002. It is a luxury crossover SUV, and has been described as both a full-sized and a mid-sized vehicle. The first generation was known within Por ...
vehicle into the protesters and afterwards physically attacked them. The attackers were later arrested; it turned out that one of the attackers was an active duty police officer.
On 15 December, in a TV interview, prime minister Miloš Vučević said that "you can't bring down a country because of 15 people who died, nor 155, nor 1,555". Due to overwhelmingly negative reactions, Vučević later apologized.
On 17 December, high school students in
Mladenovac commemorated the victims of the canopy collapse with 15 minutes of silence.
On 19 December 2024, commenting on the involvement of high school students in the protests,
Vladimir Đukanović, a high-ranking official of the SNS, stated that "children are property of the state until they reach the
age of majority
The age of majority is the threshold of legal adulthood as recognized or declared in law. It is the moment when a person ceases to be considered a minor (law), minor, and assumes legal control over their person, actions, and decisions, thus te ...
". The statement caused great controversy, with the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, Brankica Janković, describing it as "utterly unfounded, dangerous, and condemnable". Đukanović defended his statement by claiming it was "metaphorical" and "taken out of context".
On 20 December, the silent protest was extended by one minute to commemorate a victim from the
Zagreb school stabbing in Croatia.
First Slavija protest
In response to
police brutality
Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or Public order policing, a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, b ...
and alleged paid
hooligans who attacked civilians and protesters, opposition leaders, students, farmers and independent demonstrators organized a large-scale protest on 22 December, at
Slavija Square
Slavija Square ( sr-cyr, Трг Славија, Trg Slavija) is a major commercial junction between the intersections of Kralja Milana, Beogradska, Makenzijeva, Svetosavska, Bulevar oslobođenja, Deligradska and Nemanjina streets in Belgrade. The ...
in Belgrade. The estimated attendance was between 100,000 and 102,000 people, which marks the biggest protest in Belgrade and Serbia by attendance in recorded history.
On 24 December, in an interview, Vučić stated that "if
ewished so,
ecould send out the
Cobras special forces on the students and they would throw them around in 6–7 seconds". This statement was widely ridiculed, and caused the students to make
memes
A meme (; ) is an idea, behavior, or style that spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme. A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ...
, making fun of Vučić and his phrase "throwing around" ("razbacati"). It is worth noting that Cobras are not in charge of crowd dispersals.
On 25 December, people brought 1,000 letters to the office of the public prosecutor urging her to "start doing her job". That same day, employees of the Serbian intelligence agency
BIA paid an unofficial visit to the mother of one of the student organizers, at her workplace. She interpreted this move as a "threat and pressure". Other organizers allegedly received telephone calls inviting them to come to BIA offices "for a friendly chat", but no official summons were handed. In the evening, over 2,000 people protested in
Užice
Užice ( sr-cyr, Ужице, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative centre of the Zlatibor District in western Serbia. It is located on the banks of the river Đetinja. According to the 2022 census, the city proper has a popu ...
, in front of the city hall. The local authority, run by SNS, turned off the street lights in front of the hall, but the protesters brought a portable
power generator
Electricity generation is the process of generating electric power from sources of primary energy. For utilities in the electric power industry, it is the stage prior to its delivery ( transmission, distribution, etc.) to end users or its stora ...
.
December incidents and the announcement of the "loyalist faction"
On 27 December, protesters blocked the road in
Ivanjica
Ivanjica ( sr-Cyrl, Ивањица, ) is a town and municipality located in the Moravica District of southwestern Serbia. As of 2022 census, the municipality has a population of 27,767 inhabitants. With an area of 1090 km2, it is the eighth ...
. An incident occurred when a driver drove his automobile in full speed through the gathered crowd. Once his vehicle stopped, the gathered protesters attacked him, however, he was immediately protected by undercover police standing nearby and allowed to leave the area without legal repercussions. That same day, 200 employees of RTS signed a petition in support of the protests.
On 29 December, Vučić publicly accused eight Croatian students from
FER, who were visiting their fellow students in Belgrade, of organizing the protests on behalf of the Croatian intelligence agency
SOA. The names of the Croatian students were published without their consent in the pro-government media and, upon leaving Serbia, they were given alcoholic beverages with a note to "send their regards to SOA" by the Serbian border police. Croatian Prime minister Andrej Plenković described Vučić's claim as "laughable".
On 31 December, Vučić announced the formation of a "loyalist faction" within the SNS, whose "17,000 members swore a blood oath in secrecy", who are "
pro-Russian
Russophilia is the identification or solidarity with, appreciation of, or support for the Russia, country, Russians, people, Russian language, language, and history of Russia. One who espouses Russophilia is called a russophile. Its Opposite ...
oriented" and are "a bit too extreme for
istaste". He also revealed that his brother is among the members.
This statement caused a lot of debate: according to some analysts, it is directed not towards the protesters, but towards the more reluctant members of SNS, whereas others expressed doubt that Vučić can gather 17,000 loyal activists. A group of citizens signed a petition demanding an official police investigation into the existence of "loyalists".
Similar to the
1996–1997 Serbian protests, silent protests in Belgrade and Novi Sad were held on New Year's Eve, but this time from 11:52 pm to 00:07 am. According to some estimations, between 17,000 and 18,000 attended in Belgrade, while between 4,600 and 6,000 attended in Novi Sad.
On 2 January, the 15 minutes of silence were extended to 29: an additional 12 for the people killed in
2025 Cetinje shootings in Montenegro on 31 December, and two for the victims killed in
Arilje
Arilje ( sr-cyr, Ариље, ) is a town and municipality located in the Zlatibor District of southwestern Serbia. The population of the town is 6,639, while the municipality has 17,063 inhabitants (2022 census).
Geography
The municipality of Aril ...
on 1 January. The action was repeated on 3 January in Novi Sad at the blockade of the
Varadin Bridge and in other cities.
Early mobilization of education workers
On 3 January, a student protest was held in
Aleksandrovac
Aleksandrovac ( sr-cyr, Александровац) is a town and municipality located in the Rasina District of central Serbia. As of 2022, the town has a population of 5,586 inhabitants, while the municipality has 22,069 inhabitants.
History
Fr ...
, the largest one in the town's history. The students were joined by other citizens, including some of their professors. On the same day, after a round of negotiations with education workers' unions, prime minister Vučević stated that all education workers who decide to strike will be fired and replaced. This statement caused widespread negative reactions among education workers, who characterized the statement as "arrogant" and "insulting".
The government tabloid ''
Večernje Novosti
''Večernje novosti'' ( sr-Cyrl, Вечерње новости; ''Evening News'') is a Serbian daily tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1953, it quickly grew into a high-circulation daily. ''Novosti'' (as most people call it for short) also employs ...
'' published pictures of Croatian passports showing the names and personal data of two student protesters, claiming they are "Croatian spies" sent to "destabilize Serbia". It turned out that the students in question come from
Croatian Serb
The Serbs of Croatia ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, separator=" / ", Срби у Хрватској, Srbi u Hrvatskoj) or Croatian Serbs ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, separator=" / ", Хрватски Срби, Hrvatski Srbi) constitute the largest national minority in ...
refugee
A refugee, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is a person "forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as ...
families and hold dual citizenship of both Serbia and Croatia. The students announced they will sue the tabloid, due to breach of the Serbian data protection law, and the public widely condemned the article.
January upsurge of nationwide protests
On 6 January, high-school students in
Požarevac
Požarevac ( sr-cyr, Пожаревац, ) is a list of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative centre of the Braničevo District in eastern Serbia. It is located between three rivers: Danube, Great Morava and Mlava and below the hill Čač ...
organized a protest, which began with 15 minutes of silence.
On 10 January, protesters in Belgrade gathered in front of the Palace of Justice, and afterwards blocked the ring road in downtown Belgrade. Protests were also held in Novi Sad, Niš,
Zrenjanin
Zrenjanin ( sr-Cyrl, Зрењанин, ; ; ; ; ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Central Banat District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The city urban area has a population of 67,129 inh ...
and
Kikinda
Kikinda ( sr-Cyrl, Кикинда, ; ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the North Banat District in Serbia. The city's urban area has 32,084 inhabitants, while the city administrative area has 49,326 inhabit ...
.
On 11 January, protesters gathered in front of the offices of
BIA in Novi Sad, inviting the BIA employees over "for a friendly chat". The building was heavily guarded by police. A large protest was simultaneously organized in
Kragujevac
Kragujevac ( sr-Cyrl, Крагујевац, ) is the List of cities in Serbia, fourth largest city in Serbia and the administrative centre of the Šumadija District. It is the historical centre of the geographical region of Šumadija in central Se ...
by local high-school students, joined by medical workers. During the night, students of technical faculties in Belgrade reported that the unknown persons entered the campus despite the blockade and started threatening them.
On 12 January, around 20,000 students and citizens gathered in front of the
Constitutional Court of Serbia
The Constitutional Court () is the court authorized to perform judicial review in Serbia. It rules on whether the laws, decrees or other bills enacted by the Serbian authorities are in conformity with the Constitution. It is not considered as par ...
in Belgrade, demanding the prosecution of those responsible for the canopy collapse and expressing their support to the school workers' union which announced a possible
general strike
A general strike is a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large coalitions ...
. The protest began with 15 minutes of silence.
At the same time, students in Niš organized a protest in front of the Rectorate of the
University of Niš
The University of Niš () is a public university in Serbia. It was founded in 1965.
As of the 2018-19 school year, it consists of 13 faculties with 1,492 academic staff and around 20,500 students.
It has a university library "Nikola Tesla"; th ...
. They put up a banner saying "Work stoppage due to protest" on the second floor of the Rectorate building.
On 13 January, late in the evening, unknown persons physically attacked the students blocking the Belgrade Faculty of Law, including one female student. In total, six students were injured. The police intervened and one of the attackers was arrested.
Continued mobilization of education workers
On 14 January, the largest education workers' union (NSPRS) announced a one-day
general strike
A general strike is a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large coalitions ...
, displeased with the government policy towards teachers and professors. The union representatives officially expressed their support for students and announced they will join the protests. On the same day, the workers union of
Elektroprivreda Srbije
Elektroprivreda Srbije (abbr. EPS; full legal name: Javno preduzeće ''Elektroprivreda Srbije'' Beograd) is a joint-stock company, joint-stock electric utility power company fully owned by the Government of Serbia, with headquarters in Belgrade, ...
, Serbia's state-owned power company, announced a general strike, as well. In downtown Belgrade, thousands of students marched in a rally, expressing their support for the assaulted law students and the general strike.
On 16 January, during a 15-minute blockade in downtown Belgrade, a dark blue
Ford Focus
The Ford Focus is a compact car (C-segment in Europe) manufactured by Ford Motor Company from 1998 until 2025. It was created under Alexander Trotman's Ford 2000 plan, which aimed to globalize model development and sell one compact vehicle worl ...
vehicle drove through the protesting students, carrying one female student on the car roof for several meters without stopping. The injured student was taken to hospital and the driver was arrested and charged with attempted murder. This incident caused a widespread outrage: later during the day, thousands rallied in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Zrenjanin, Kragujevac and
Kraljevo
Kraljevo ( sr-Cyrl, Краљево, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Raška District in central Serbia. It is situated on the confluence of West Morava and Ibar River, Ibar, in the geographical region of ...
, whereas in Niš, some of the faculty professors joined the student blockade. In response to the protests in Kraljevo, the mayor of Kraljevo, Predrag Terzić, member of the SNS, compared the protestors with
World War Two
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilisi ...
Croatian fascists and published their names without their consent.
16 January Čačak incident
On 16 January, in Čačak, hooligans stormed the family home of a
religious teacher who was also a union representative, threatening him into voting against the general strike. Earlier during the day, the teacher had a meeting with the mayor Milun Todorović, where he was asked to vote against the strike. This caused an outrage throughout Čačak and next day, thousands gathered in support of the teacher.
Attempted occupation of the City Assembly of Novi Sad
On 17 January, opposition members of the Novi Sad city assembly took over control of the Novi Sad city hall, but were soon forced out by the police in
riot gear
Riot control is a form of public order policing used by law enforcement, military, paramilitary or security forces to control, disperse, and arrest people who are involved in a riot, unlawful demonstration or unlawful protest.
If a riot is sp ...
. Later during the day, an older man carrying a
pocket knife
A pocketknife (also spelled as pocket knife) is a knife with one or more blades that fold into the handle. They are also known as jackknives, folding knives, EDC knife, or may be referred to as a penknife, though a penknife may also be a specif ...
tried to attack the students protesting in front of the Medical Faculty in Novi Sad, but the students took the knife away from him. On the same day, protesters gathered in
Vranje
Vranje ( sr-Cyrl, Врање, ) is a city in Southern Serbia and the administrative center of the Pčinja District. According to the 2022 census, the city itself has a population of 55,214 while the city administrative area has 74,381 inhabitan ...
, where the names of 15 victims of the canopy collapse were read out loud.
Proclamation of the four demands
On the evening of 17 January, students and citizens organized a massive protest in front of RTS building in Belgrade, dissatisfied with the way RTS covered the protests, once comparing the protesters symbol with that of
Hamas
The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...
. Tens of thousands gathered and the protest began with 15 minutes of silence. Afterwards, the students paraded with a giant Cobra doll, parodying Vučić's earlier statements about Cobra special forces, and with a giant sandwich intended for the CEO of RTS, parodying the cliché of SNS supporters being paid with sandwiches. The protesters played the audio recording of their demands:
#the publication of the entire documentation on the reconstruction of the Railway Station,
#the dismissal of the charges against the arrested and detained students, activists and citizens at the previous protests regarding the tragedy in Novi Sad,
#the filing of criminal charges against all attackers of students, professors and citizens,
#an increase in the budget for faculties for 20 percent.
The workers of the RTS gathered on the balcony and showed the banners saying "RTS employees support the students" and "You cannot run us over", referencing the vehicular attacks on the protestors.
On 18 January, the Bar Association of Serbia announced a 7-day general strike, commencing on 20 January. During that period, the lawyers will not attend any court proceedings. Asked about the lawyer strike in a TV interview, Vučić compared lawyers to "a mob". The Bar Association condemned Vučić's statement and announced a protest. On the same day, teachers and professors protested in Novi Sad, demanding the resignation of the university rector, and accusing him of supporting the attacks on students. Education workers also protested in
Pirot
Pirot ( sr-Cyrl, Пирот) is a city and the administrative center of the Pirot District in southeastern Serbia. According to 2022 census, the urban area of the city has a population of 34,942, while the population of the city administrative are ...
. Students, school teachers and citizens protested in
Kragujevac
Kragujevac ( sr-Cyrl, Крагујевац, ) is the List of cities in Serbia, fourth largest city in Serbia and the administrative centre of the Šumadija District. It is the historical centre of the geographical region of Šumadija in central Se ...
, as well. Students announced that a blockade of all three bridges in Novi Sad (
Liberty Bridge,
Varadin Bridge and
Žeželj Bridge) will take place on 1 February, to mark the three months since the canopy collapse while also being the Day of the City.
Intensified education sector dissent
On 19 January, around 10,000 teachers, professors, students and citizens protested in
Čačak
Čačak ( sr-Cyrl, Чачак, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Moravica District in central Serbia. It is located in the West Morava Valley. According to the 2022 census, the city itself has a population ...
in support of the attacked religious teacher. Students carried a cardboard replica of a bulldozer, as a reference to the
Bulldozer Revolution
A bulldozer or dozer (also called a crawler) is a large tractor equipped with a metal blade at the front for pushing material (soil, sand, snow, rubble, or rock) during construction work. It travels most commonly on continuous tracks, though s ...
. In front of the SNS offices, the protesters stopped and shouted "fascists, fascists", "resignations" and threw eggs at the windows. In Kraljevo, mayor Predrag Terzić was
booed
Booing is an act of publicly showing displeasure for someone or something, such as an entertainer or an athlete, by loudly yelling "Boo!" and sustaining the "oo" sound by holding it out. It may be accompanied by hand gestures such as the thumbs ...
in public because of his posts against the student protesters. In Belgrade, 20,000 education workers protested and were joined by students. The protest symbolically lasted for 45 minutes. Due to the existence of several different education workers' unions, the decision on the strike was ultimately left to individual schools. Around 35 percent of schools, both elementary and high schools throughout Serbia, decided to go on strike starting 20 January. In
Subotica
Subotica (, ; , , ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city in Central Europe and the administrative center of the North Bačka District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. Formerly the largest city of Vojvodina region, contemporary Sub ...
, students and citizens protested in the city center, expressing their support for lawyers and education workers. This protest also began with 15 minutes of silence.
On 20 January, parents gathered in front of several elementary schools in Novi Sad to express their support for the teachers. In the Belgrade municipality of
Surčin
Surčin ( sr-Cyrl, Сурчин, ) is a municipality of the city of Belgrade. It is located in the eastern Syrmia region in Central Europe, 32km west of downtown Belgrade. As of 2022 census, it has a population of 45,452 inhabitants.
It is the ...
, dozens of hooded people, allegedly tied to SNS, tried to forcefully enter an elementary school which was on strike, and verbally threatened the principal and teachers. Some parents came to assist the teachers, filmed the attackers, and the attackers eventually left. In
Zrenjanin
Zrenjanin ( sr-Cyrl, Зрењанин, ; ; ; ; ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Central Banat District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The city urban area has a population of 67,129 inh ...
, school inspectors were ordered by the Ministry of Education to enter the elementary schools which declared strike, but they refused. In some schools in Belgrade and Novi Sad, parents gathered and chased out the school inspectors. Students protested in
Novi Pazar
Novi Pazar ( sr-cyr, Нови Пазар) is a List of cities in Serbia, city located in the Raška District of southwestern Serbia. As of the 2022 census, the urban area has 71,462 inhabitants, while the city administrative area has 106,720 inha ...
. The silence was extended to 16 minutes, in protest against the lenient sentence for the death of student Ernad Bakan in a traffic accident. Employees of
Elektroprivreda Srbije
Elektroprivreda Srbije (abbr. EPS; full legal name: Javno preduzeće ''Elektroprivreda Srbije'' Beograd) is a joint-stock company, joint-stock electric utility power company fully owned by the Government of Serbia, with headquarters in Belgrade, ...
also declared a strike and announced they will be joining the protests.
Color revolution allegation
On 21 January, hooded people put up banners on the overpasses on the Belgrade highway, showing a picture of a
flipped middle finger with the inscription "This is the response of the Serbian people to your
colour revolution". Many prominent SNS members, including the mayor of Kraljevo, also shared the picture of the flipped middle finger on their social media profiles. The middle finger was also drawn overnight in several Belgrade schoolyards, but pupils drew flowers over them. It is worth noting that term "colour revolution", although common in countries of the
former Soviet Union
The post-Soviet states, also referred to as the former Soviet Union or the former Soviet republics, are the independent sovereign states that emerged/re-emerged from the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Prior to their independence, they ...
, was never widely used in Serbia. The activists took down the banners, however, in one case, a hooded person who put up the banner attacked the activist; the attacker was filmed and
doxxed
Doxing or doxxing is the act of publicly providing personally identifiable information about an individual or organization, usually via the Internet and without their consent. Historically, the term has been used to refer to both the aggregat ...
later. On the same day, high-school students and citizens protested in
Obrenovac
Obrenovac ( sr-cyr, Обреновац, ) is a municipality of the city of Belgrade. According to the 2022 census results, the municipality has a population of 68,882 inhabitants, while the urban area has 25,380 inhabitants. The old name for Obreno ...
.
In the evening hours of 21 January, undercover police stormed the Belgrade hotel where students from abroad were staying for an international conference, organized by
ERSTE Foundation
ERSTE Foundation (in German DIE ERSTE österreichische Spar-Casse Privatstiftung or in short: ERSTE Stiftung) is the biggest Austrian savings bank foundation. In 2003, it evolved from the Erste österreichische Spar-Casse, the first Austrian sav ...
. Five female students from Croatia were singled out by police, transported to the police station, accused of helping the protests and deported. This act was condemned by Croatia, as well as by anti-government protesters in Serbia.
January 24 general strike
Prelude
By 22 January, dozens of small, medium and enterprise companies throughout Serbia announced they will join a
general strike
A general strike is a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large coalitions ...
on 24 January. Some online retail websites were temporarily offline between 11:52 am and 12:07 am. Employees of
technology companies
A technology company (or tech company) is a company that focuses primarily on the manufacturing, support, research and development of—most commonly computing, telecommunication and consumer electronics–based—technology-intensive products and ...
headquartered in
New Belgrade
New Belgrade (, ) is a Subdivisions of Belgrade, municipality of the city of Belgrade. It was a Planned community, planned city and now is the central business district of Serbia and South East Europe. Construction began in 1948 in a previously un ...
joined the students in road blockades and protests. In Čačak, medical workers joined the protest. That same day, two MPs from the SNS officially resigned, without providing an explanation.
On 23 January, during the protest in Kraljevo, protesters threw eggs at the local SNS offices and at the mayor, Predrag Terzić, who was present in front of the offices. Protesters shouted "murderers, murderers". On that same day, in an open letter, 17 judges publicly expressed their support for students' demands. Over a hundred different companies publicly stated they will support the general strike and will not operate on 24 January.
Events

On 24 January, large protests were held in
Apatin
Apatin ( sr-Cyrl, Апатин, , ) is a town and municipality located in the West Bačka District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. As of 2022 census, the population of the town is 14,613, while the municipality has 23,155 inhabita ...
, Belgrade,
Gornji Milanovac
Gornji Milanovac ( sr-Cyrl, Гoрњи Милановац, ) is a town and municipality located in the Moravica District of central Serbia. The population of the town is 23,109, while the population of the municipality is 38,985 (2022 census data).
...
,
Jagodina
Jagodina ( sr-cyrl, Јагодина, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Pomoravlje District in central Serbia. It is situated on the banks of the Belica (river), Belica River, in the geographical region of � ...
,
Lazarevac
Lazarevac ( sr-cyr, Лазаревац, ) is a municipality of the city of Belgrade. , the town has a total population of 27,635 inhabitants, while the municipal area has a total of 55,146 inhabitants.
Its name stems from the name of medieval Ser ...
, Leskovac, Kragujevac, Niš, Novi Sad, Novi Pazar,
Petrovac na Mlavi
Petrovac ( sr-cyr, Петровац), also known as Petrovac na Mlavi ( sr-cyr, Петровац на Млави, "Petrovac-upon-Mlava"; ) is a town and municipality located in the Braničevo District of eastern Serbia. In 2022, the population of ...
,
Stara Pazova
Stara Pazova (, ; ; ) is a small town located in the Srem District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The town has a population of 18,522, while Stara Pazova municipality has 62,318 inhabitants (2022 census). The entrance into town f ...
, and
Vlasotince
Vlasotince ( sr-cyr, Власотинце) is a town and municipality located in Jablanica District of southern Serbia. As of 2022, the municipality has 25,695 inhabitants, while the town itself has a population of 14,924 inhabitants.
History
Ac ...
. In Lazarevac, the students were joined by miners from the
RB Kolubara
RB Kolubara (full legal name: ''Privredno društvo za proizvodnju, preradu i transport uglja Rudarski basen Kolubara d.o.o. Lazarevac'', "Company for the production, processing and transport of coal mine basin Kolubara Ltd. Lazarevac") is a Serbia ...
mines. In Belgrade, high-school pupils, lawyers and tech companies organized their protest together with students. Two columns of protesters crossed the
Branko's Bridge from both sides and symbolically connected two sides of the river. Medical workers and workers in social care institutions either left their workplaces while the protesters were passing by or made statements of support. In Novi Sad, opposition parties blocked the highway with motor vehicles for a brief period of time.
Jagodina SNS rally
The protest in Jagodina was specific since it was organized on the same day as the large SNS gathering, albeit a few hours earlier. Despite that, there were no reported incidents within the city; however, in the Belgrade municipality of
Voždovac
Voždovac ( sr-Cyrl, Вождовац, ) is a Subdivisions of Belgrade, municipality of the city of Belgrade. According to the 2022 census results, the municipality has a population of 174,864 inhabitants.
The municipality is located in the south ...
, local residents attempted to physically stop a bus driving SNS supporters to Jagodina. The SNS supporters arrived later in the afternoon with organized buses.
Speaking at the SNS gathering, president Vučić stated that he wants peace and stability, that "children need to go to schools", and that he will "not sanction
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
, nor any other friendly nation". He also announced the formation of a new political movement.
Autokomanda blockade
During the protests in
New Belgrade
New Belgrade (, ) is a Subdivisions of Belgrade, municipality of the city of Belgrade. It was a Planned community, planned city and now is the central business district of Serbia and South East Europe. Construction began in 1948 in a previously un ...
, a black
Citroën
Citroën ()The double-dot diacritic over the 'e' is a diaeresis () indicating the two vowels are sounded separately, and not as a diphthong. is a French automobile brand. The "Automobiles Citroën" manufacturing company was founded on 4 June 19 ...
ran over two students and seriously injured them. Afterwards, the protesters surrounded the vehicle and demolished it. The driver, a young female, was arrested by undercover police. Students announced that they will organize a day-long blockade of the
Autokomanda
Autokomanda ( sr-cyr, Аутокоманда, ) is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located on the tripoint of the Belgrade's municipalities of Voždovac, Savski Venac and Vračar.
Location
Autokomanda is located ...
intersection in downtown Belgrade on 27 January. The Ministry of Education called on schools to reduce the January salaries for those education workers who are on strike.
In the morning hours of 25 January, over 650
bikers from different biker clubs gathered in Belgrade, donated food to students blocking the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, and afterwards proceeded downtown, in support of the student who was overrun. Their protest began with 15 minutes of silence, honoring the victims of the canopy collapse. Farmers from towns and villages around Novi Sad formed columns and moved towards the city with their tractors. Their proclaimed goal was to park the tractors in front of protesting students, thereby shielding them from possible attacks. Near
Rumenka
Rumenka () is a suburban settlement of the city of Novi Sad, Serbia. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and a population of 6,495 people (2011 census).
Name
In Serbian and Croatian, the village is known as ''Rumenka'' (Руменка), and ...
, the farmers were blocked by a unit of
Gendarmery
A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to "men-at-arms" (). In France and som ...
with riot gear, prohibiting them from moving further. Students from Novi Sad came to assist the farmers and the unit was eventually forced to pull back. Around 30 tractors reached the campus in Novi Sad. Citizens also protested in
Mladenovac,
Pirot
Pirot ( sr-Cyrl, Пирот) is a city and the administrative center of the Pirot District in southeastern Serbia. According to 2022 census, the urban area of the city has a population of 34,942, while the population of the city administrative are ...
,
Prijepolje
Prijepolje ( sr-Cyrl, Пријепоље, ) is a town and municipality located in the Zlatibor District of southwestern Serbia. As of 2022, the town has 11,928 inhabitants, while the municipality has 32,214 inhabitants.
Etymology
One possible mean ...
Smederevo
Smederevo ( sr-Cyrl, Смедерево, ) is a list of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Podunavlje District in eastern Serbia. It is situated on the right bank of the Danube, about downstream of the Serbian capital, ...
,
Svrljig
Svrljig ( sr-Cyrl, Сврљиг, ; until 1904 Derven, sr-Cyrl, Дервен, link=no) is a town and municipality located in the Nišava District of the southern Serbia. According to 2022 census, the town has a population of 6,762 inhabitants, wh ...
,
Vršac
Vršac ( sr-Cyrl, Вршац, ) is a city in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. As of 2022, the city urban area had a population of 31,946, while the city administrative area had 45,462 inhabitants. It is located in the geographical ...
and
Zrenjanin
Zrenjanin ( sr-Cyrl, Зрењанин, ; ; ; ; ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Central Banat District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The city urban area has a population of 67,129 inh ...
.
On the morning of 26 January, farmers from
Banatsko Novo Selo
Banatsko Novo Selo ( sr-cyr, Банатско Ново Село ) is a village located in the municipality of Pančevo, South Banat District, Vojvodina, Serbia. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 5.806 people (D ...
moved towards Belgrade with their tractors. Their aim was to supply food for students blocking the Belgrade Agronomic Faculty and to leave at least 10 tractors there as a shield against possible attacks. The farmers reached the faculty in the afternoon.
On 26 January, bikers organized a protest in Kragujevac, commemorating the victims with 15 minutes of silence. Citizens also protested in Niš, Subotica,
Varvarin and
Zaječar
Zaječar ( sr-Cyrl, Зајечар, ; or ) is a city and the administrative center of the Zaječar District in eastern Serbia. According to the 2022 census, the city administrative area had a population of 48,621 inhabitants.
Zaječar is widely ...
.
On the morning of 27 January, students, bikers and farmers on tractors blocked the
Autokomanda
Autokomanda ( sr-cyr, Аутокоманда, ) is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located on the tripoint of the Belgrade's municipalities of Voždovac, Savski Venac and Vračar.
Location
Autokomanda is located ...
intersection in downtown Belgrade. The blockade began with 15 minutes of silence and was scheduled to last for 24 hours. Tens of thousands attended the blockade; students played volleyball and boardgames, and made barbecue. Early the next day, the students cleaned up the intersection. At the same time, citizens protested in
Prokuplje
Prokuplje ( sr-Cyrl, Прокупље, ) is a city and the administrative center of the Toplica District in southern Serbia. As of 2022 census, the municipality has a population of 38,054 inhabitants.
Prokuplje is one of the Roman sites of Serb ...
and
Kuršumlija
Kuršumlija ( sr-Cyrl, Куршумлија, ) is a town and municipality located in the Toplica District of the Southern Serbia (Geographical Region), southern Serbia. It is situated near the rivers Toplica (South Morava), Toplica, Kosanica (ri ...
. Civil engineers announced they will protest on 29 January, supporting the students and asking the Ministry of Construction to amend the Law on Planning and Construction and appoint experts to key positions in the relevant institutions.
Novi Sad baseball bat attack and Vučević's resignation
Around 3 a.m. on 28 January, students putting up posters in Novi Sad were attacked by masked individuals carrying baseball bats in front of the local offices of SNS. After repeated calls and 30 minutes of waiting for the emergency medical team to arrive, students were transported to the hospital. One female student was seriously injured and left with a broken jaw. This caused an outrage on
social media
Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...
and students announced a new protest in Novi Sad. Around 10 am, students gathered and drew
graffiti
Graffiti (singular ''graffiti'', or ''graffito'' only in graffiti archeology) is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written "monikers" to elabor ...
"murderers" on the windows of SNS offices in Novi Sad. At a press conference held at 11 am, prime minister Miloš Vučević, and mayor of Novi Sad Milan Đurić, both members of SNS, resigned, citing the attack as the reason. Vučević also informed the public that the attackers indeed came from the offices of the SNS. Four attackers were arrested, all of them with previous criminal record. Their names were soon
doxxed
Doxing or doxxing is the act of publicly providing personally identifiable information about an individual or organization, usually via the Internet and without their consent. Historically, the term has been used to refer to both the aggregat ...
and their mugshots from the police station were leaked on social media. Some social media users found several old photos of Vučević and his son together with some of the attackers; despite rumors of this being a possible reason for resignation, the personal connection with the attackers was not officially confirmed. At least two of the four attackers had previously collaborated with the city of Novi Sad in promoting recycling and environmental protection, for which they received funds from the city budget.
Later in the day, farmers blocked the regional road near
Bresnica, in central Serbia, with tractors. They announced they will stay there for 24 hours. Another group of farmers blocked the
Ibar Highway
State Road 22, commonly known as Ibar Highway ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Ибарска магистрала, Ibarska magistrala), is an IB-class road, connecting Belgrade with Šumadija and Western Serbia and finally with Montenegro at Špiljani border cro ...
near Kraljevo with tractors, for the next 24 hours. In the evening hours, in Novi Sad, Belgrade, Čačak, Kragujevac, Niš and Pirot, thousands gathered in a march of solidarity with the attacked students. In Niš, students drew graffiti "murderers" on the local SNS offices and announced a blockade of the central ringroad.
Following Vučević's resignation, president Vučić said he would pardon students and university teachers charged in connection with the protests and announced a major cabinet reshuffle, adding that he was considering on whether to call parliamentary elections or appoint a new government. Among those pardoned was the dean of the Faculty of Philology in Niš, who was never informed of any legal proceeding against her.
On 29 January, thousands of citizens protested in
Gornji Milanovac
Gornji Milanovac ( sr-Cyrl, Гoрњи Милановац, ) is a town and municipality located in the Moravica District of central Serbia. The population of the town is 23,109, while the population of the municipality is 38,985 (2022 census data).
...
and hundreds gathered in
Lapovo
Lapovo ( sr-Cyrl, Лапово) is a town and municipality located in the Šumadija District of central Serbia. The population of the town is 6,057 according to the 2022 census.
History
The first mention of ''Lapovo'' dates from the 12th centur ...
. In
Ivanjica
Ivanjica ( sr-Cyrl, Ивањица, ) is a town and municipality located in the Moravica District of southwestern Serbia. As of 2022 census, the municipality has a population of 27,767 inhabitants. With an area of 1090 km2, it is the eighth ...
, high-school pupils and their teachers organized a protest, starting with 15 minutes of silence. The school principal brought food for pupils who want to come back to classes, however, the pupils gave that food to
stray dogs, filmed it and shared the video.
1 February Novi Sad protest
Also on 29 January, Belgrade students announced that they will walk by foot from Belgrade to Novi Sad to join the blockade on 1 February. High school pupils from the Belgrade municipality of
Zemun
Zemun ( sr-cyrl, Земун, ; ) is a Subdivisions of Belgrade, municipality in the city of Belgrade, Serbia. Zemun was a separate town that was absorbed into Belgrade in 1934. It lies on the right bank of the Danube river, upstream from downtown ...
announced a 24-hour blockade of the
Zemun Gymnasium.
On the same day, the magazine ''"Nova Ekonomija"'' published an article revealing that the head of president Vučić's cabinet, Ivica Kojić, played a role in the project of reconstruction and adaptation of the railway to Hungary, including the Novi Sad railway station. According to emails published by the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad, Kojić promised the contractor that he would speed up activities on this project.
On 30 January, hundreds of students from Belgrade faculties set off on a two-day walk from Belgrade to Novi Sad in order to support their Novi Sad colleagues in blocking all three bridges in that city, thereby marking three months since the collapse of the canopy. The Ministry of Internal Affairs advised it will secure the walk route. Along the route, the students were greeted by citizens and by employees of
Telekom Srbija
Telekom Srbija a.d. Beograd is a Serbian state-owned telecommunications operator. It was founded in May 1997 as a joint-stock company, by spinning off the telecommunications business from PTT Srbija (present-day Pošta Srbije). In April 201 ...
, the state-owned telecommunications company. Citizens of
Stara Pazova
Stara Pazova (, ; ; ) is a small town located in the Srem District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The town has a population of 18,522, while Stara Pazova municipality has 62,318 inhabitants (2022 census). The entrance into town f ...
, a town along their route, welcomed the students with fireworks and over 150 kilograms of free food. Before students reached
Inđija
Inđija (, ) is a town and a municipality located in the Srem District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. As of 2022, the town has total population of 24,450, while the municipality has 43,433 inhabitants. It is located in the geogr ...
, the town's mayor, SNS member Marko Gašić, locked the entrance to the hall where the students were supposed to sleep over. Residents then offered their private accommodations, and one club owner offered his night club for the students to sleep in. The students decided to stick together and spent the night in the open, sleeping on styrofoam. In the morning, they proceeded to Novi Sad.
Citizens protested in
Grdelica,
Kostolac
Kostolac ( sr-Cyrl, Костолац) is a town in Serbia and one of two city municipalities which constitute the City of Požarevac. It is situated on the Danube river. The remains of Viminacium, the capital of the Roman province of Moesia Superi ...
and in
Pećinci
Pećinci (, ; ) is a village and municipality located in the Srem District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The village has a population of 2,448, while Pećinci municipality has 18,401 inhabitants (2022 census).
Name
In Serbo- ...
, despite rumors circulating that they might lose their jobs. On the same day, the
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...
officially demanded information from the prosecutors' offices in Belgrade and Novi Sad in regards to the attacks on students throughout 2024 and 2025.
On 31 January, another attack with a motor vehicle happened in Belgrade. Medical workers were blocking the street in front of their workplace at the central
psychiatric hospital
A psychiatric hospital, also known as a mental health hospital, a behavioral health hospital, or an asylum is a specialized medical facility that focuses on the treatment of severe Mental disorder, mental disorders. These institutions cater t ...
, commemorating the victims with 15 minutes of silence, when a black
Volkswagen Golf Mk5
The Volkswagen Golf Mk5 (codenamed ''Typ 1K'') is a compact car/small family car manufactured and marketed by Volkswagen, as the fifth generation of the Golf in three- or five-door hatchback (August 2003 – 2008) and a five-door station wagon ...
drove right through them in full speed. Three medical workers were injured and the perpetrators, two young males, tried to escape, but were stopped by other medical workers.
In the evening hours, marching students reached Novi Sad, where they were welcomed by thousands of local residents. Together, they held a vigil at the Novi Sad railway station, with 15 minutes of silence. Over a hundred taxi drivers from Belgrade announced a departure on 2 February at 1 pm from
Nikola Tesla Airport, in order to transport students back from Novi Sad free of charge.
In Belgrade, employees of the public transit company
GSP Belgrade announced a protest for 5 February, demanding that the mayor,
Aleksandar Šapić
Aleksandar Šapić ( sr-cyrl, Александар Шапић; born 1 June 1978) is a Serbian politician and former professional water polo player who has been the mayor of Belgrade since 2024, previously serving that role from 2022 to 2023. A ...
, "be held criminally liable for the damage caused to GSP, together with his assistant Miroslav Čučković".
On 1 February, on the Day of the City and the three-month anniversary of the canopy collapse, large crowds gathered at the entrance to Novi Sad – columns of cars waited for hours at the toll gates to join the protests and blockade. A long line of several hundred bikers was seen at the entrance to Novi Sad, and many farmers also joined the protest with their tractors. Around 3 pm, students blocked all three bridges in Novi Sad. Tens of thousands of citizens gathered, and the protest started with 15 minutes of silence. Two of the bridges were blocked for three hours, while
Liberty Bridge was blocked for 24 hours. After the results of the
plenum
Plenum may refer to:
* Plenum chamber, a chamber intended to contain air, gas, or liquid at positive pressure
* Plenism, or ''Horror vacui'' (physics) the concept that "nature abhors a vacuum"
* Plenum (meeting), a meeting of a deliberative assem ...
in which the citizens on the bridge voted, it was extended for three more hours in order to clean up the area.
In Čačak, teachers, professors and their students blocked the two bridges over the
West Morava
West Morava (, ) is a river in Central Serbia, a 184-km long headstream of the Great Morava, which it forms with the South Morava. It was known as Brongus in antiquity.
Origin
The West Morava originates in the Tašti field, east of the town o ...
for an hour in support of the students in Novi Sad. Farmers have arranged for their tractors to be parked in front of the bridges, in order to protect the protesters. Citizens also protested in
Kladovo
Kladovo ( sr-Cyrl, Кладово, ; or ) is a town and municipality located in the Bor District of Southern and Eastern Serbia, eastern Serbia. It is situated on the right bank of the Danube river.
Name
In Serbian language, Serbian, the town i ...
,
Krupanj
Krupanj ( sr-cyr, Крупањ, ) is a town and municipality located in the Mačva District of western Serbia. The municipality has a total population of 14,399 inhabitants, while the town has a population of 4,134 inhabitants (2022 census).
Ge ...
,
Kuršumlija
Kuršumlija ( sr-Cyrl, Куршумлија, ) is a town and municipality located in the Toplica District of the Southern Serbia (Geographical Region), southern Serbia. It is situated near the rivers Toplica (South Morava), Toplica, Kosanica (ri ...
,
Prijepolje
Prijepolje ( sr-Cyrl, Пријепоље, ) is a town and municipality located in the Zlatibor District of southwestern Serbia. As of 2022, the town has 11,928 inhabitants, while the municipality has 32,214 inhabitants.
Etymology
One possible mean ...
,
Prokuplje
Prokuplje ( sr-Cyrl, Прокупље, ) is a city and the administrative center of the Toplica District in southern Serbia. As of 2022 census, the municipality has a population of 38,054 inhabitants.
Prokuplje is one of the Roman sites of Serb ...
and
Žitorađa
Žitorađa ( sr-cyr, Житорађа, ) is a town and municipality located in the Toplica District of southern Serbia. The municipality includes 30 settlements. According to the 2022 census, the population of the municipality is 13,782 inhabitan ...
. Judges of the Basic and Higher Courts in Niš publicly supported the students' demands. In its
prime-time
Prime time, or peak time, is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for television shows. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to b ...
news program, RTS briefly reported about the Novi Sad protest. This was condemned as "scandalous" and "biased" by the SNS.
On 2 February, the Bar Association of Serbia announced a 30-day lawyers' strike.
In Novi Sad, 671 taxi vehicles from Belgrade have organized a lift back to Belgrade for students, completely free of charge. On the same day, protests were organized in
Bajina Bašta
Bajina Bašta ( sr-Cyrl, Бајина Башта, ) is a town and municipality located in the Zlatibor District of western Serbia. The town lies in the valley of the Drina river at the eastern edge of Tara National Park.
According to the 2022 ce ...
,
Jagodina
Jagodina ( sr-cyrl, Јагодина, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Pomoravlje District in central Serbia. It is situated on the banks of the Belica (river), Belica River, in the geographical region of � ...
,
Kosjerić
Kosjeríć ( sr-cyr, Косјерић, ) is a town and municipality located in the Zlatibor District of western Serbia. The municipality has a population of 10,175 inhabitants and the town itself has 3,723 (2022 census). The municipality's area i ...
,
Šabac
Šabac ( sr-Cyrl, Шабац, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative centre of the Mačva District in western Serbia. The traditional centre of the fertile Mačva region, Šabac is located on the right banks of the river ...
,
Užice
Užice ( sr-cyr, Ужице, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative centre of the Zlatibor District in western Serbia. It is located on the banks of the river Đetinja. According to the 2022 census, the city proper has a popu ...
,
Vlasotince
Vlasotince ( sr-cyr, Власотинце) is a town and municipality located in Jablanica District of southern Serbia. As of 2022, the municipality has 25,695 inhabitants, while the town itself has a population of 14,924 inhabitants.
History
Ac ...
and
Vršac
Vršac ( sr-Cyrl, Вршац, ) is a city in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. As of 2022, the city urban area had a population of 31,946, while the city administrative area had 45,462 inhabitants. It is located in the geographical ...
. In
Šabac
Šabac ( sr-Cyrl, Шабац, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative centre of the Mačva District in western Serbia. The traditional centre of the fertile Mačva region, Šabac is located on the right banks of the river ...
, students and teachers blocked the bridge over the
Sava
The Sava, is a river in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. From its source in Slovenia it flows through Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally reac ...
river for 225 minutes, 15 minutes for each of the 15 victims. In
Užice
Užice ( sr-cyr, Ужице, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative centre of the Zlatibor District in western Serbia. It is located on the banks of the river Đetinja. According to the 2022 census, the city proper has a popu ...
, residents blocked the motorway by standing on the bridge above the
Đetinja
Đetinja ( sr-Cyrl, Ђетиња; ) is a river in western Serbia, a long natural but shorter headstream of the Zapadna Morava River.
The Đetinja river valley serves as a route for the Belgrade- Bar railway.
Name
According to the legend whi ...
river despite freezing weather.
Start of the corruption probe
On 3 February, the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad announced that the Special Department for Suppression of Corruption had launched an investigation into corruption in connection with the reconstruction of the canopy of the Novi Sad Railway Station. In Belgrade, a 15-minute silence was held at the intersection in front of the mental hospital for those killed in the collapse. In addition to employees and citizens, bikers also blocked the intersection in front of the building to protect employees and the crowd, given that two female doctors were injured at the same location a few days ago when they were hit by a car at full speed. Students from several Belgrade high schools also protested in front of their respective schools. Artists have protested in front of the Ministry of Culture, while professors of the Aviation Academy and parents whose children attend the academy blocked the intersection in front of the central government building.
On 4 February, students, teachers, farmers and bikers organized a large protest in Kragujevac. The protesters carried boxes with ideas on city improvement to the city hall. Protesters also gathered in
Arandjelovac, for the third time in one week, in support of the kindergarten teachers on strike. On the same day, the Police Union of Serbia (PSS) sent a letter to the Minister of the Interior,
Ivica Dačić
Ivica Dačić ( sr-cyrl, Ивица Дачић, ; born 1 January 1966) is a Serbian politician serving as deputy prime minister of Serbia since 2022 and minister of internal affairs since 2024. He has been the leader of the Socialist Party of ...
, demanding an increase in salaries and the introduction of additional benefits for employees in the Ministry of the Interior (MUP). The union proposed that the wages of employees with secondary education, civil servants and office workers be increased by at least 15 percent of the salary for March, while the wages of employees with higher education by at least five percent. In addition, the PSS requested the payment of compensation for food costs during work in the amount of 15,000 dinars for all employees, as well as annual vacation allowance of at least 85,000 dinars, starting in 2025. Nearly 500 policemen have signed a petition supporting the students' demands.
On 5 February, five simultaneous protests were held in Belgrade. Pensioners protested at
Republic Square in support of the students. medical workers protested in front of the
Zemun
Zemun ( sr-cyrl, Земун, ; ) is a Subdivisions of Belgrade, municipality in the city of Belgrade, Serbia. Zemun was a separate town that was absorbed into Belgrade in 1934. It lies on the right bank of the Danube river, upstream from downtown ...
hospital,
students gathered in front of the Ministry of Education,
another group of students blocked the central street in
Banovo Brdo
Banovo Brdo ( sr-cyrl, Баново брдо, ) is a neighbourhood of Belgrade, Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Čukarica.
Location
Banovo Brdo is bounded by the neighborhoods of Čukarica and Čukarička Padina in the wes ...
, and employees of the public transit company GSP protested in front of the company headquarters in
Dorćol
Dorćol ( sr-Cyrl, Дорћол; ) is an affluent urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Stari Grad.
Located along the right bank of the Danube, Dorćol is the oldest surviving neighbo ...
. Students announced a large protest to be held on 15 February in Kragujevac, on the anniversary of the
Sretenje Constitution
The Constitution of the Principality of Serbia ( Slavonic-Serbian: ) known as the Sretenje Constitution ("Candlemas Constitution"), was the first constitution of the Principality of Serbia, adopted in Kragujevac in 1835. The Constitution was ...
. Medical and social workers union "Nezavisnost", with around 2,500 members in Niš, officially supported the students and their demands. Professors and teachers protested in Leskovac. Citizens also protested in
Sombor
Sombor ( sr-Cyrl, Сомбор, ; ; ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the West Bačka District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The city has a total population of 41,814 (), while its adminis ...
, where students were joined by medical workers and local librarians.
On the same day, ''"Forbes Serbia"'' published the statement the former Minister of Construction,
Goran Vesić, gave to the prosecutor on 22 November 2024. Vesić stated that he does not consider himself responsible, nor could he in any way contribute to the accident, as well as that "the station was not put into operation just because he came to the opening." He denied that the vestibule (main hall) of the station was commissioned on his order. Vesić mentioned that in March 2022, the first part of the station was put into operation, i.e. the platforms and tracks and the part of the station that passengers used until the vestibule was put into operation. And then a ceremony was organized. "At that time, there was no use permit" the statement reads. The statement also describes the procedure for the internal acceptance and handover of Wing B in June–July 2024, from the
Chinese consortium as a contractor to the
Serbian Railways Infrastructure as an investor. Vesić said that he found out about the memo, which stated that after the internal reception, passengers will be able to use lobby B, only after the canopy fell. Describing the process of internal reception in more detail, the former minister said that his ministry was not mentioned anywhere in the mutual communication regarding the handover, and that his assistant Anita Dimoski was familiar with the correspondence because she was always named as the recipient of the emails. Concluding the description of the events surrounding the handover, he stated that the handover took place on July 4, 2024, and that the use of the lobby was enabled from that day.
Slovenia
Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
n newspapers ''
Večer'' and ''
Delo
''Delo'' () is a business oriented online media in Ukraine, belonging to ekonomika+ media holding.
''Delo'' was the first daily in Ukraine, publishing its real print circulation (13.000 - 15.000) and trying to introduce Western editorial and b ...
'' published speculations that Goran Vesić and Belgrade mayor
Aleksandar Šapić
Aleksandar Šapić ( sr-cyrl, Александар Шапић; born 1 June 1978) is a Serbian politician and former professional water polo player who has been the mayor of Belgrade since 2024, previously serving that role from 2022 to 2023. A ...
had both left Serbia and were currently residing in privately owned mansions in
Trieste
Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...
,
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
.
Fulfillment of the education funding demand
On 6 February, the
Government of Serbia
The government of Serbia ( sr-cyrl, Влада Србије, Vlada Srbije), formally the Government of the Republic of Serbia ( sr-cyrl, Влада Републике Србије, Vlada Republike Srbije), commonly abbreviated to Serbian Governme ...
adopted a decision providing 12.01 billion dinars for higher education. According to the official announcement by the Government, the budget for education is thereby increased by 20 percent, fulfilling the fourth demand of the student plenums. On the same day, in the Novi Sad neighborhood of
Telep
Telep ( sr-cyr, Телеп) is an urban neighborhood of the city of Novi Sad, Serbia.
Name
The word "telep" () means "settlement" in Hungarian language, Hungarian. The first name of this neighborhood was ''Darányi-telep'' (Serbian: ''Daranjije ...
, a car with Croatian license plates attempted to drive through the protesters blocking the road for 15 minutes. There were no casualties and the driver fled before police arrived. Parents whose children attend elementary schools in Novi Sad organized a protest after some parents who openly supported the school teachers' strike received phone calls from police. In
Topola
Topola ( sr-Cyrl, Топола, ) is a town and municipality located in the Šumadija District of central Serbia. It was the place where Karađorđe, a Serbian revolutionary, was chosen as the leader of the First Serbian Uprising against the Otto ...
, farmers blocked the motorway with tractors. Students also protested in
Crna Trava
Crna Trava ( sr-Cyr, Црна Трава, ) is a village and municipality located in the Jablanica District of southern Serbia. According to the 2022 census, the population of the village is 338 inhabitants, while population of the municipality is ...
.
The Serbian Medical Association (SLD), the umbrella organization of doctors and dentists, announced that their Assembly officially supports all demands issued by the students of the blocked Medical Faculties.
Serbian newspaper ''
Danas'' published an article revealing that Marko Tošin, one of the attackers who stormed out of the SNS offices in Novi Sad on 28 January and broke a female student's jaw with a baseball bat, was released from custody merely a day after the arrest. The article sparked outrage on social media.
According to ''Forbes Serbia'', the families of the victims of the Novi Sad accident were interested in joining the criminal prosecution by pressing charges against the persons responsible for the death of their loved ones. This followed testimony before the prosecutor that was attached as part of the indictment, which ''Forbes Serbia'' had access to. Former dean and professor of the Belgrade Faculty of Civil Engineering, Vladan Kuzmanović, stated that Aleksandar Vučić and Miloš Vučević essentially led the Railway Station reconstruction in Novi Sad. The
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...
's rapporteur for Serbia,
Tonino Picula
Tonino Picula (born 31 August 1961) is a Croatian politician currently serving his fourth term as a Member of the European Parliament for Croatia, having successfully run in 2013, 2014, 2019 and 2024 European elections.
Picula entered Croatian ...
, assessed that Serbia is in an "undeclared state of emergency", and that the President Vučić has not found a way to compensate for the dissatisfaction of those people who protest.
On 7 February, lawyers organized a protest in front of RTS. There, the lawyers demanded that their voices be heard and called upon policemen and members of the
Serbian Armed Forces
The Serbian Armed Forces () is the military of Serbia.
The President of the Republic acts as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, while administration and defence policy is carried out by the Government through the Ministry of Defence. The h ...
to join a general strike. The informal community of elementary school teachers in
New Belgrade
New Belgrade (, ) is a Subdivisions of Belgrade, municipality of the city of Belgrade. It was a Planned community, planned city and now is the central business district of Serbia and South East Europe. Construction began in 1948 in a previously un ...
- PULS announced a large protest gathering and walk through New Belgrade on 8 February. Theatrical actors from the theaters in Belgrade, Novi Sad,
Sombor
Sombor ( sr-Cyrl, Сомбор, ; ; ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the West Bačka District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The city has a total population of 41,814 (), while its adminis ...
and
Zrenjanin
Zrenjanin ( sr-Cyrl, Зрењанин, ; ; ; ; ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Central Banat District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The city urban area has a population of 67,129 inh ...
started a seven-day strike. In Belgrade, protesters blocked the
Pupin Bridge connecting
Zemun
Zemun ( sr-cyrl, Земун, ; ) is a Subdivisions of Belgrade, municipality in the city of Belgrade, Serbia. Zemun was a separate town that was absorbed into Belgrade in 1934. It lies on the right bank of the Danube river, upstream from downtown ...
with
Borča
Borča ( sr-cyr, Борча, ) is an urban settlement of the municipality of Palilula, Belgrade, Palilula, Belgrade, Serbia. It is located in the left-bank part of the municipality, separated by the Danube from the rest of the city. , it has a popu ...
. Citizens also protested in Niš. During the protest, an unknown female person approached the dean of the Niš Faculty of Philosophy, threatened her and physically attacked her. In
Prijepolje
Prijepolje ( sr-Cyrl, Пријепоље, ) is a town and municipality located in the Zlatibor District of southwestern Serbia. As of 2022, the town has 11,928 inhabitants, while the municipality has 32,214 inhabitants.
Etymology
One possible mean ...
, high school teachers protested, despite receiving verbal threats. In
Subotica
Subotica (, ; , , ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city in Central Europe and the administrative center of the North Bačka District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. Formerly the largest city of Vojvodina region, contemporary Sub ...
, students, professors and citizens organized a protest, which began with 15 minutes of silence. Afterwards, the gathered crowd moved towards the city hall, where they left a message for the mayor, Stevan Bakić, an SNS member, who previously compared the protesters with
World War Two
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilisi ...
Croatian fascists and accused them of "destroying Serbia".
In
Bogatić
Bogatić ( sr-cyr, Богатић, ) is a town and municipality located in the Mačva District of western Serbia. As of the 2022 census, it has 24,522 residents.
Geography
Bogatić is located in the western part of Serbia. The nearest large ...
, SNS-led local authorities organized a public hearing on the municipal spatial plan, which also includes
lithium
Lithium (from , , ) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Li and atomic number 3. It is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal. Under standard temperature and pressure, standard conditions, it is the least dense metal and the ...
exploration, behind closed doors, contrary to the Serbian Law on Local Administration. Hundreds of farmers and protesters entered the Bogatić municipality building, where a public hearing was scheduled to take place, and physically carried the local chairman of the SNS outside. SNS banners, visible on the town square, were torn down. Farmers and protesters organized a
plenary session
A plenary session or plenum is a session of a conference or deliberative assembly in which all parties or members are present. Such a session may include a broad range of content, from keynotes to panel discussions, and is not necessarily r ...
, during which they expressed support for the students' demands. Kragujevac students from blocked faculties announced they will run a 137-kilometer
relay marathon to the
Church of St. Sava in Belgrade to hand over invitations to their colleagues for the protest scheduled on
Sretenje, 15 February, in Kragujevac.
On 8 February, teachers and professors from 18
New Belgrade
New Belgrade (, ) is a Subdivisions of Belgrade, municipality of the city of Belgrade. It was a Planned community, planned city and now is the central business district of Serbia and South East Europe. Construction began in 1948 in a previously un ...
elementary schools, joined by parents whose children attend those schools, blocked the central turnaround in New Belgrade. In Niš, students, professors and citizens organized a 15 km-long protest walk to
Merošina
Merošina () is a village and municipality located in the Nišava District of the southern Serbia. According to 2022 census, the municipality has 11,873 inhabitants, from which 799 live in Merošina itself.
Geography
The municipality borders Ale ...
. On the same day, during his speech at the SNS gathering in a sports hall in Kikinda, president Vučić announced that he is writing a book about his "glorious victory against the
colour revolution in Serbia" and that the book will be finished by
Vidovdan
Vidovdan (, ) is a Serbian national and religious holiday, a ''slava'' (feast day) celebrated on 28 June (Gregorian calendar), or 15 June according to the Julian calendar. The Serbian Church designates it as the memorial day to ''Saint Prince ...
. Another SNS gathering was organized in the cultural center of Lazarevac, where President of the National Assembly
Ana Brnabić and Minister of Finance
Siniša Mali
Siniša Mali ( sr-Cyrl, Синиша Мали, ; born 25 August 1972) is a Serbian economist and politician serving aFirst Deputy Prime minister of Serbiasince 2024 and as minister of finance since 2018. A member of the Serbian Progressive Part ...
, both SNS members, were scheduled to speak. Protesters gathered in front of the center, waited for Brnabić and Mali to come out and
booed
Booing is an act of publicly showing displeasure for someone or something, such as an entertainer or an athlete, by loudly yelling "Boo!" and sustaining the "oo" sound by holding it out. It may be accompanied by hand gestures such as the thumbs ...
them; during the gathering, Brnabić called the protesters "cowards", but once outside, she smiled and waved at them.
On 9 February, students of the Agronomic Faculty, together with farmers on tractors, blocked the
Gazela Bridge
The Gazela Bridge () is the most important bridge over the Sava river in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is a part of the city highway, and it lies on the local M11 expressway, on the expressway passing through the wider city center, conne ...
in Belgrade to commemorate 100 days since the canopy collapse. In Niš, students blocked the highway paytoll. Protesters also blocked the local intersections in
Ruma
Ruma (; ) is a town and municipality in the Srem District of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Serbia. As of 2022, the town has a population of 27,747, while the municipality has a population of 48,621.
History
Traces of organized human life ...
and
Zrenjanin
Zrenjanin ( sr-Cyrl, Зрењанин, ; ; ; ; ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Central Banat District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The city urban area has a population of 67,129 inh ...
. In the afternoon hours, students running a relay marathon from Kragujevac to Belgrade, reached
Mladenovac, where over a hundred locals gathered along their route to applaud and cheer them on. When students reached the Belgrade municipality of
Voždovac
Voždovac ( sr-Cyrl, Вождовац, ) is a Subdivisions of Belgrade, municipality of the city of Belgrade. According to the 2022 census results, the municipality has a population of 174,864 inhabitants.
The municipality is located in the south ...
, residents formed a column with their vehicles and escorted the students to the
Church of St. Sava in downtown Belgrade, where thousands of people gathered to welcome them. The students thanked the crowd, and invited them to come to the large protest scheduled for 15 February in Kragujevac. On the same day, former prime minister Vučević, when asked about the protesters in an interview, said: "Enough with their nonsense. Who gave them the right to determine who is what and who did what, who are they to talk about it? They have no empathy for anything."
On 10 February, a group of students who had been running from Novi Sad to Belgrade since the morning arrived at the plateau in front of the Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy, where a red carpet was laid out for them. They cut the red ribbon holding their index cards and were then awarded medals, with the audience chanting: "Novi Sad, Novi Sad". They were greeted with fireworks as they crossed
Branko's Bridge. The Novi Sad "marathoners" symbolically handed over the
Constitution of Serbia
The current Constitution of the Republic of Serbia (), also known as Mitrovdan Constitution () is the supreme and basic law of Serbia. It was adopted in 2006, replacing the previous constitution dating from 1990.
History
The adoption of current ...
as a baton to their colleagues - students from Belgrade faculties. Participants in the relay marathon from Novi Sad faculties and colleges plan to walk with students blocking Belgrade faculties to Kragujevac.
On 11 February, in temperatures of minus six degrees
Celsius
The degree Celsius is the unit of temperature on the Celsius temperature scale "Celsius temperature scale, also called centigrade temperature scale, scale based on 0 ° for the melting point of water and 100 ° for the boiling point ...
, 180 students from Niš set off on foot to Kragujevac, where the large protest is scheduled for 15 February. Around 6 pm they arrived in
Aleksinac
Aleksinac ( sr-Cyrl, Алексинац) is a town and municipality located in the Nišava District of Southern and Eastern Serbia, southern Serbia. According to 2022 census, the municipality has a population of 43,258 inhabitants.
History
Preh ...
, where they spent the night in the local Sports Hall. Along the way, they received applause, chants of support, and a warm welcome was given to them by the villagers in Tešica, who also prepared lunch for them. On the way to Aleksinac, the villagers invited the students to rest for the night, offered them food and refreshments. The students were welcomed in Aleksinac - a banner saying "Welcome, dear students" was placed at the entrance to the promenade, and the students were greeted with fireworks and lots of food and beverages. Students who walked from Novi Sad and Belgrade, arrived in
Sopot
Sopot (; or ) is a seaside resort city in Pomerelia on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea in northern Poland, with a population of approximately 40,000. It is located in Pomeranian Voivodeship, Pomerania Province and has the City with powiat ri ...
in the evening hours. They had planned to sleep in the local sports hall with heating, however, the President of the Municipality Živorad Milosavljević, a member of the SNS, denied permission. The sports hall remained locked, but the citizens organized themselves and found alternative accommodation for the students, in some cases even in plastic
greenhouses
A greenhouse is a structure that is designed to regulate the temperature and humidity of the environment inside. There are different types of greenhouses, but they all have large areas covered with transparent materials that let sunlight pass an ...
. On the same day, Members of the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...
(EP) discussed the situation in Serbia and advised the Serbian authorities that everyone must have the right to freedom of assembly and demanded that all incidents against students and citizens demonstrating in Serbia are investigated. The debate was held at the request of the Social Democrats, and the majority of MEPs supported the protests, saying "Serbian students are the voice of hope and awareness of the entire Balkans".
Arrest of Milorad Grčić and signs of discontent within SNS
On 12 February, farmers from
Rača blocked all access roads to the municipality with tractors, protesting the increase in local property taxes and in support of students. On the same day, the
Public Attorney's Office of the Republic of Serbia announced that part of the investigation into the fall of the canopy was transferred to the Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime. Simultaneously, Milorad Grčić, former acting director of
Elektroprivreda Srbije
Elektroprivreda Srbije (abbr. EPS; full legal name: Javno preduzeće ''Elektroprivreda Srbije'' Beograd) is a joint-stock company, joint-stock electric utility power company fully owned by the Government of Serbia, with headquarters in Belgrade, ...
(EPS), President of the Belgrade municipality of
Obrenovac
Obrenovac ( sr-cyr, Обреновац, ) is a municipality of the city of Belgrade. According to the 2022 census results, the municipality has a population of 68,882 inhabitants, while the urban area has 25,380 inhabitants. The old name for Obreno ...
and a member of SNS, was arrested, under suspicion that he damaged EPS for more than one million euro, according to the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office. The government announced a large pro-SNS gathering to be held in
Sremska Mitrovica
Sremska Mitrovica (; sr-Cyrl, Сремска Митровица, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city in Serbia. It is situated on the left bank of the Sava, Sava river. , the city has a total population of 36,764 inhabitants, while its adminis ...
, and started reaching out to party members and sympathizers. According to some media outlets, due to decreased popularity, the organizers resorted to pressuring employees in public enterprises to come.
On 13 February, students from
Kraljevo
Kraljevo ( sr-Cyrl, Краљево, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Raška District in central Serbia. It is situated on the confluence of West Morava and Ibar River, Ibar, in the geographical region of ...
, together with their colleagues from
Novi Pazar
Novi Pazar ( sr-cyr, Нови Пазар) is a List of cities in Serbia, city located in the Raška District of southwestern Serbia. As of the 2022 census, the urban area has 71,462 inhabitants, while the city administrative area has 106,720 inha ...
, set off on foot to Kragujevac, where a large gathering was to be held on 15 February. The flags of Kraljevo and Novi Pazar came together in front of the Faculty of Mechanical and Civil Engineering in Kraljevo and the students set off on a walking route of over 50 kilometers. Along the way, they met in
Mrčajevci
Mrčajevci ( sr-cyrl, Мрчајевци, ) is a village in the city of Čačak, Serbia. It is located in Central Serbian region of Šumadija
Šumadija ( sr-Cyrl, Шумадија, ) is a geographical region in the central part of Serbia. The ar ...
with their colleagues from Užice, Čačak and Gornji Milanovac, from where they continued together to Kragujevac. On the same day, the informal community of Belgrade primary schools "PULS" organized a protest in front of the Ministry of Education. They said that they will not negotiate with the Ministry, and informed the public that 65% of schools have suspended classes. Employees of
Radio Belgrade
Radio Belgrade (, ) is a state-owned and operated radio station in Belgrade, Serbia. It has four different programs (Radio Belgrade 1, Radio Belgrade 2, Radio Belgrade 3, and Radio Belgrade 202), a precious archive of several hundreds of thousa ...
also organized a protest. The
Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra
The Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra () is an orchestra located in Belgrade, Serbia. It is regularly considered one of the finest in the country.
History
Unlike most European countries and cities, Serbia and Belgrade were rather late in receivin ...
announced it will hold a charity concert, and all proceeds from ticket sales will go to the persons injured by the canopy collapse in Novi Sad.
After news spread about the arrest of the President of the municipality of Obrenovac, Milorad Grčić, the President of the Assembly of Serbia,
Ana Brnabić, herself head of the Belgrade section of the SNS, came to visit the municipal SNS committee in Obrenovac. In front of the party premises, she was met by a hundred SNS members, furious about Grčić's arrest. People shouted and did not allow Brnabić to speak, marking the first publicly visible sign of discontent within the party. According to weekly magazine ''"Radar"'', in late December, the leaders of all of Serbia's security services had separate meetings with then-prime minister Vučević, where they were supposed to confirm their readiness to "protect the country's constitutional order by any means necessary". Although the surveyed security people answered the question positively, some felt the need to further demonstrate their loyalty in the following days, whereas others were merely thanked by the authorities for their work so far and retired in almost absolute silence.
On 14 February, the Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade proposed
suspended sentences for the persons who physically attacked the students of the Belgrade Faculty of Law. On the same day, during his official visit to
Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska ( sr-Cyrl, Република Српска, ; also referred to as the Republic of Srpska or Serb Republic) is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities within Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other bein ...
, president Vučić compared the protesters in Serbia with "sediment and filth which occasionally rises to the surface". The Serbian subsidiary of
Assicurazioni Generali
Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A. ( , ; meaning 'general insurances') or commonly known as Generali Group is an Italian insurance company based in Trieste. As of 2022, it is the largest insurance company in Italy and ranks among the world's largest i ...
decided to withdraw from the work of the
Serbian Chamber of Commerce and the Association of Insurers of Serbia, after both organizations refused to respond to tabloid attacks that the president of the company's executive board, Dragan Filipović, was subjected to. The pro-government tabloids ''Informer'' and ''Republika'' published a photo of Filipović at the student protests which he attended in a private capacity, accusing him of "wanting to destroy the country". The company itself was also targeted, through texts that unfoundedly claimed that it was losing the Serbian market.
''Sretnimo se na Sretenje''
On 15 February, the anniversary of the 1835 declaration of the
Sretenje Constitution
The Constitution of the Principality of Serbia ( Slavonic-Serbian: ) known as the Sretenje Constitution ("Candlemas Constitution"), was the first constitution of the Principality of Serbia, adopted in Kragujevac in 1835. The Constitution was ...
, a large protest was held in Kragujevac. The gathering, named "Sretnimo se na Sretenje" ("Let's Meet on Sretenje"), lasted for 15 hours, during which time Lepenički Boulevard was blockaded. Many students present at the protest had walked on foot, some traveling as far as 150 kilometers to attend. Large numbers of vehicles also made their way to the city, with a total of 165,000 protesters attending the gathering. Protesters also gathered at Trg Republike in Belgrade in support of the gathering in Kragujevac. President Vučić held a counter-rally that same day in
Sremska Mitrovica
Sremska Mitrovica (; sr-Cyrl, Сремска Митровица, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city in Serbia. It is situated on the left bank of the Sava, Sava river. , the city has a total population of 36,764 inhabitants, while its adminis ...
, at which he described the protests as "the dirtiest color revolution in the history of mankind" and claimed that three billion euros had been invested by foreign powers to topple his government. The executive board of the United Branch Unions "Nezavisnost" ("Independence") stated that public sector employees were pressured to attend the pro-government rally, at which some 20,000 people were present. The next day, around 300 taxi drivers drove to Kragujevac to transport the students back home, where they were greeted warmly. An additional protest was announced for 1 March in Niš.
On 18 February, the farmers who protested in
Rača stormed the local municipality building and occupied it, demanding lower taxes and resignations of local officials. The farmers expressed their support for the student protesters.
On 19 February, the organization CRTA (Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability) released a survey of a representative sample of Serbian citizens' opinions on the protests. According to the report, around 80% of respondents supported the majority of the students' demands and 64% support or mostly support the protests themselves. In addition, 33% of respondents claimed to have taken part in at least one protest in Serbia during the previous three months. When asked who they would trust more, 46% of respondents stated they would trust the students, 21% would trust President Vučić, 12% would trust both equally, with the remaining 21% trusting neither or having no answer.
On the same day, in Kraljevo, opposition councilors blocked the work of the city assembly, protests in front of the assembly building lasted for several hours, and eggs were thrown at the mayor, Predrag Terzić. One opposition councilor was detained by the police, and the mayor was evacuated in a police vehicle.
On 20 February, a protest was held at
Vukov Spomenik
Vukov Spomenik or colloquially Vuk ( sr-cyr, Вуков Споменик; ) is an List of Belgrade neighborhoods, urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located on the tripoint of Belgrade's municipalities of Zvezdara, Palilu ...
in Belgrade, where 15 minutes of silence was observed. The gathering, which was organized by citizens from the municipalities of Stari Grad, Savski Venac, Palilula, Zvezdara, and Vračar, as well as by the organization "Ustala je Ustanička," was attended by nearly 14,000 protesters.
On 21 February, students, educators, parents, and citizens in
Prijepolje
Prijepolje ( sr-Cyrl, Пријепоље, ) is a town and municipality located in the Zlatibor District of southwestern Serbia. As of 2022, the town has 11,928 inhabitants, while the municipality has 32,214 inhabitants.
Etymology
One possible mean ...
held a gathering in memory of the 15 lives lost in Novi Sad. The protest was attended by students of the
State University of Novi Pazar, at the request of whom the 15 minutes of silence were extended to 16 in remembrance of Ernad Bakan, a student from Novi Pazar killed in 2019 while studying in Belgrade by a speeding car. Protesters considered the sentence given to the driver as lenient. Additional protests were held that day in
Čačak
Čačak ( sr-Cyrl, Чачак, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Moravica District in central Serbia. It is located in the West Morava Valley. According to the 2022 census, the city itself has a population ...
,
Ivanjica
Ivanjica ( sr-Cyrl, Ивањица, ) is a town and municipality located in the Moravica District of southwestern Serbia. As of 2022 census, the municipality has a population of 27,767 inhabitants. With an area of 1090 km2, it is the eighth ...
, and
Ljig
Ljig ( sr-cyr, Љиг) is a town and municipality located in the Kolubara District of western Serbia. It has a population of 2,938 inhabitants, while the municipality has a total of 10,711 inhabitants.
It is surrounded by Mount Rajac and Mount ...
. During the 12-hour blockade in Čačak, a plenum of students and citizens voted to boycott RTS and announced they would walk on foot to attend the gathering in Niš on 1 March. Students of Mihajlo Pupin Technical Department in
Zrenjanin
Zrenjanin ( sr-Cyrl, Зрењанин, ; ; ; ; ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Central Banat District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The city urban area has a population of 67,129 inh ...
, who had left the city the day before with the goal of walking to
Vršac
Vršac ( sr-Cyrl, Вршац, ) is a city in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. As of 2022, the city urban area had a population of 31,946, while the city administrative area had 45,462 inhabitants. It is located in the geographical ...
, were greeted warmly in the villages of
Velika Greda and later in
Plandište
Plandište (, ; ; ) is a village and municipality located in the South Banat District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The village has a population of 3,329, while Plandište municipality has 8,957 inhabitants (2022 census). On ...
, where they stayed the night.
On 24 February, Žarko Mićin was elected as the new mayor of Novi Sad by the City Assembly, with 45 councilors voting in his favor. The opposition boycotted the session, citing a heavy police and
Žandarmerija presence around the assembly building, which led to clashes with citizens protesting the election process. Protesters attempted to enter the assembly and threw eggs, red paint, yogurt, flour, and toilet paper at the police and the building, prompting multiple police interventions to prevent them from approaching the premises. The police reported that five officers were injured during the protests and denied allegations that opposition councilors were prevented from attending the session. In his address, Mićin emphasized his commitment to being a mayor for all citizens of Novi Sad and prioritized the inspection of all city-owned buildings to prevent future tragedies. On the same day, SNS organized a gathering in
Srbobran in a local theater, attended by the resigned Prime Minister
Miloš Vučević. The citizens organized a protest in front of the venue and
booed
Booing is an act of publicly showing displeasure for someone or something, such as an entertainer or an athlete, by loudly yelling "Boo!" and sustaining the "oo" sound by holding it out. It may be accompanied by hand gestures such as the thumbs ...
at Vučević. In the village of Cvetke, near Kraljevo, the gathered villagers threw eggs at the visiting mayor of Kraljevo, Predrag Terzić.
On 25 February, the Parliament Speaker and head of the Belgrade branch of SNS,
Ana Brnabić, told the media that the
Serbian National Assembly will consider the resignation of Prime Minister Miloš Vučević as the last item on the agenda at its session on 4 March.
On 27 February, pupils of the Fifth Belgrade Gymnasium have blocked their school, protesting the appointment of the new, SNS-affiliated principal. President Vučić has commented the event by saying: "The terror that you see here is being carried out by the pupils of the Fifth Belgrade Gymnasium against the school principal Danka Nešović."
On 28 February, seven archbishops of the
Serbian Orthodox Church
The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodox Church#Constit ...
signed an open letter supporting the students' right to protest and condemning the derogatory speech aimed against them. "As hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church, we feel a duty to publicly express our disagreement and distance ourselves from any speech that dehumanizes another person, and especially from speech that belittles the young people, students, as a factor in building the society, a factor that contributes to its future, or that humiliates them as the ones called upon to think and seek the truth."
Student Edict
On 1 March, another large protest was held in
Niš
Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names of European cities in different languages (M–P)#N, names in other languages), less often spelled in English as Nish, is the list of cities in Serbia, third largest city in Serbia and the administrative cente ...
. Tens of thousands of protesters gathered, marking four months since the canopy collapse with 15 minutes of silence. In reference to the
Edict of Milan
The Edict of Milan (; , ''Diatagma tōn Mediolanōn'') was the February 313 agreement to treat Christians benevolently within the Roman Empire. Frend, W. H. C. (1965). ''The Early Church''. SPCK, p. 137. Western Roman Emperor Constantine I and ...
issued by the Niš-born Roman Emperor
Constantine I
Constantine I (27 February 27222 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a Constantine the Great and Christianity, pivotal ro ...
, the students drafted and presented the "Student Edict", which contains provisions on freedom, state, justice, youth, dignity, knowledge, solidarity and the future. After the protest, columns of taxi drivers from various cities transported the students back home, free of charge. Citizens also protested in
Inđija
Inđija (, ) is a town and a municipality located in the Srem District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. As of 2022, the town has total population of 24,450, while the municipality has 43,433 inhabitants. It is located in the geogr ...
, where a man threatened the protesters with a knife. On the same day, in its evening news program, RTS aired the news coverage of the Niš protest before airing the official statement by president Vučić. Pro-government tabloids characterized such reporting as a "
coup d'etat" and accused RTS of being "controlled by students".
On 2 March, students and high school pupils from
Gornji Milanovac
Gornji Milanovac ( sr-Cyrl, Гoрњи Милановац, ) is a town and municipality located in the Moravica District of central Serbia. The population of the town is 23,109, while the population of the municipality is 38,985 (2022 census data).
...
blocked the
Ibar Highway
State Road 22, commonly known as Ibar Highway ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Ибарска магистрала, Ibarska magistrala), is an IB-class road, connecting Belgrade with Šumadija and Western Serbia and finally with Montenegro at Špiljani border cro ...
. The blockade lasted four hours, from 11 am to 4 pm. In Belgrade, citizens blocked the Blue Bridge, which connects the
Konjarnik and
Medaković
Medaković ( sr-Cyrl, Медаковић, ), or colloquially Medak (), is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Voždovac, with the easternmost part of Medaković III being in the mu ...
neighborhoods, to express support for students' demands. In
Krupanj
Krupanj ( sr-cyr, Крупањ, ) is a town and municipality located in the Mačva District of western Serbia. The municipality has a total population of 14,399 inhabitants, while the town has a population of 4,134 inhabitants (2022 census).
Ge ...
, residents protested the arrival of Miloš Vučević, who was attending an SNS party debate in that town. The informal association of education workers, "United Education of Serbia", announced that the professors and schoolteachers will embark on an "educational relay walk", an action called "A Step to Freedom" during which, from 3 to 6 March, they will walk around 160 kilometers from Belgrade to
Čačak
Čačak ( sr-Cyrl, Чачак, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Moravica District in central Serbia. It is located in the West Morava Valley. According to the 2022 census, the city itself has a population ...
, where a large protest of education workers will take place.
On the same day, speaking at the SNS gathering in
Bor, president Vučić said: "Can you imagine, yesterday RTS was reporting from Niš, and it was done by some imbecile reporter from their Niš office"; Vučić later apologized for calling the female correspondent an "imbecile" and RTS condemned the statement. Journalists and media workers from Niš, 46 of them, announced that their rejection of Vučić's apology, and said that they will not follow nor report about his activities until an appropriate apology is made.
On 3 March, the "Sloga" police union expressed its support for the "Student Edict" adopted on 1 March in Niš, describing this as a manifesto of the struggle for institutions which should serve the citizens, and not serve the interests of individuals. The Novi Sad Police Association "Dr Rudolf Arčibald Rajs" wrote an open letter to the Minister of Interior
Ivica Dačić
Ivica Dačić ( sr-cyrl, Ивица Дачић, ; born 1 January 1966) is a Serbian politician serving as deputy prime minister of Serbia since 2022 and minister of internal affairs since 2024. He has been the leader of the Socialist Party of ...
, expressing their concern about the "worrying practice in which the police, instead of applying the law and protecting public order and peace, become victims of political calculations". Several employees of public utility companies in Novi Sad spoke up to media about allegedly losing their jobs after they openly supported the protests.
Reprisals against education workers
On 4 March, Prime Minister Miloš Vučević said that professors and teachers who protested will not receive the first part of their February salary. That same day, a
brawl erupted in the National Assembly, during which opposition MPs threw
smoke bomb
A smoke bomb is a firework designed to produce a large amount of smoke upon ignition.
History
Early Japanese history saw the use of a rudimentary form of the smoke bomb. Explosives were common in Japan during the Mongol invasions of the 13th ...
s during a session.
The salary of education workers was reduced between 50 and 100 percent; in some cases, high school teachers were paid only 2,191
RSD (less than 20
EUR
The euro (symbol: €; currency code: EUR) is the official currency of 20 of the member states of the European Union. This group of states is officially known as the euro area or, more commonly, the eurozone. The euro is divided into 10 ...
). The Independent Trade Union of Teachers of Serbia (NSPRS) issued an official statement: "If the wages of school employees are reduced, and that reduction is not a consequence of legally implemented and legally prescribed disciplinary proceedings against each individual employee whose wages are reduced, the persons responsible for such proceedings will be the subject of lawsuits and criminal charges filed by NSPRS and every affected employee." An informal group of IT experts invited citizens to join the "Solidarity for Education" network and donate to help educators.
Due to attacks by pro-government tabloids on the President of the executive board of
Assicurazioni Generali Serbia, Dragan Filipović, and the expulsion of civil society activists in January, the organizers of a large international fair that was supposed to be held in Belgrade canceled the event, according to the magazine ''Nova Ekonomija''.
Strikes of public-sector librarians and health workers
Employees of the
National Library of Serbia
The National Library of Serbia () is the national library of Serbia, located in the capital city of Belgrade. It is the biggest library, and oldest institution in Serbia, one that was completely destroyed many times over in the last two centuries ...
announced a general strike starting 6 March. The employees of the "Studenica" General Hospital and the Kraljevo Health Center announced a warning strike for 7 March, demanding the fulfillment of four demands. Among them is the publication of all documents about the 2015 crash of an
Mi-17
The Mil Mi-17 (NATO reporting name: Hip) is a Soviet-designed Russian military helicopter family introduced in 1975 (Mi-8M), continuing in production at two factories in Russia, in Kazan and Ulan-Ude. It is known as the Mi-8M series in Russia ...
helicopter, in which seven people died, including a sick infant transported for treatment.
On 6 March, in front of the Belgrade City Hall, an incident happened between protesters and a private security firm hired by the city. The private company in question was allegedly tied to "phantom voters" from
Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska ( sr-Cyrl, Република Српска, ; also referred to as the Republic of Srpska or Serb Republic) is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities within Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other bein ...
who came to vote for the SNS at the December 2023 elections. In September 2024, this company, in a consortium with two other companies, concluded a framework agreement with the City of Belgrade, worth 180 million
RSD for security. On the same day, citizens from ten Belgrade municipalities, after protesting in their respective municipalities in the previous weeks, decided to hold a joint gathering in front of the prosecutor's office at the Palace of Justice, where they came in several columns. The crowd paid tribute to the victims of the Novi Sad Railway Station collapse with a 15-minute silence, and before and after that they made noise by blowing whistles and vuvuzelas and beating drums.
On 7 March, workers of the
RB Kolubara
RB Kolubara (full legal name: ''Privredno društvo za proizvodnju, preradu i transport uglja Rudarski basen Kolubara d.o.o. Lazarevac'', "Company for the production, processing and transport of coal mine basin Kolubara Ltd. Lazarevac") is a Serbia ...
mines protested in front of their office building in
Lazarevac
Lazarevac ( sr-cyr, Лазаревац, ) is a municipality of the city of Belgrade. , the town has a total population of 27,635 inhabitants, while the municipal area has a total of 55,146 inhabitants.
Its name stems from the name of medieval Ser ...
. In
Kosjerić
Kosjeríć ( sr-cyr, Косјерић, ) is a town and municipality located in the Zlatibor District of western Serbia. The municipality has a population of 10,175 inhabitants and the town itself has 3,723 (2022 census). The municipality's area i ...
, students blocked the local bridge. Thousands of citizens protested in
Kragujevac
Kragujevac ( sr-Cyrl, Крагујевац, ) is the List of cities in Serbia, fourth largest city in Serbia and the administrative centre of the Šumadija District. It is the historical centre of the geographical region of Šumadija in central Se ...
,
Kruševac
Kruševac ( sr-Cyrl, Крушевац, ) is a list of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Rasina District in central Serbia. It is located in the valley of West Morava, on Rasina (river), Rasina river. According to the 202 ...
,
Niš
Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names of European cities in different languages (M–P)#N, names in other languages), less often spelled in English as Nish, is the list of cities in Serbia, third largest city in Serbia and the administrative cente ...
and
Novi Sad
Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; #Name, see below for other names) is the List of cities in Serbia, second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pannoni ...
, supporting the underpaid education workers and calling for a general strike. Many shops, bars and restaurants remained closed in support of the protests. In Belgrade, a huge column of people walked on the streets around the downtown area passing by government buildings. Marching students said their protest presented a 'prelude' to a massive rally planned for March 15 in Belgrade.
Prelude to ''15. za 15'' and "Students 2.0"
On the same day, a group of 30 young people gathered and set up tents in front of the president's office in
Pioneers Park, Belgrade, claiming to be "Students 2.0" who want to end the protests and continue studying; however, numerous sources identified the persons as either SNS members or affiliates.
On 8 March, farmers in
Bogatić
Bogatić ( sr-cyr, Богатић, ) is a town and municipality located in the Mačva District of western Serbia. As of the 2022 census, it has 24,522 residents.
Geography
Bogatić is located in the western part of Serbia. The nearest large ...
blocked a street with tractors and clashed with the
Žandarmerija unit, which tried to remove them. Soon after, they were allowed to stay, and even to enter the local Agricultural Fair with their tractors. During his official visit to
Kovačica
Kovačica ( sr-cyrl, Ковачица, ; ; ; ) is a town and municipality located in the South Banat District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. According to the 2022 census, the town has a population of 5,398, while the municipali ...
, president Vučić was
booed
Booing is an act of publicly showing displeasure for someone or something, such as an entertainer or an athlete, by loudly yelling "Boo!" and sustaining the "oo" sound by holding it out. It may be accompanied by hand gestures such as the thumbs ...
by dozens of local citizens, to which he responded: "They love me, man, the people, you can see how much they love me, it's a marvel! In here, 500 people are waiting for me at 20 meter distance, and 50 of them like to whistle and blow their horns, well, what am I supposed to do?".
In
Smederevo
Smederevo ( sr-Cyrl, Смедерево, ) is a list of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Podunavlje District in eastern Serbia. It is situated on the right bank of the Danube, about downstream of the Serbian capital, ...
, a large citizen's protest was organized, as well as a meeting of the SNS, simultaneously in the local Sports Center. Before the SNS gathering started, the police created a cordon around the Sports Center in order to prevent the gathered citizens from reaching the SNS meeting. The crowd then tore Vučić's poster from a nearby billboard. In Belgrade, thousands of students congregated to
Republic Square, followed by farmers on tractors.
On 9 March, commenting on the large protest scheduled for 15 March, president Vučić said that he expects the opposition to "organize great violence" at the rally in Belgrade, and that "everyone who participates in it will be arrested", and stated that it will "take 15 minutes, an hour or two, because the state will be able to behave like a state, and there is nothing to discuss about". "The introduction of a
state of emergency
A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state before, during, o ...
is one of the options, depending on what will happen on the streets on 15 March. Vučić wants incidents to happen", MP of the Ecological Uprising, Aleksandar Jovanović Ćuta, told ''Vreme'' magazine.
On 10 March, the Independent Union of Educators of Serbia (NSPRS) filed criminal charges with the special anti-corruption departments of the higher prosecutor's offices in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš and Kraljevo against the outgoing Minister of Education and 12 advisors for material and financial affairs of school administrations due to the reduction of education salaries. Hundreds of students from
Čačak
Čačak ( sr-Cyrl, Чачак, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Moravica District in central Serbia. It is located in the West Morava Valley. According to the 2022 census, the city itself has a population ...
,
Niš
Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names of European cities in different languages (M–P)#N, names in other languages), less often spelled in English as Nish, is the list of cities in Serbia, third largest city in Serbia and the administrative cente ...
and
Subotica
Subotica (, ; , , ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city in Central Europe and the administrative center of the North Bačka District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. Formerly the largest city of Vojvodina region, contemporary Sub ...
began their march on foot towards Belgrade, with the goal of reaching it prior to the great protest scheduled for 15 March.
On 10 March and into 11 March, the offices of the state-owned media broadcasters RTS and
Radio-televizija Vojvodine were blockaded by large groups of students and citizens. Protesters also gathered outside
RTV Kragujevac in a show of support. Clashes between demonstrators and Žandarmerija occurred during the protest in Belgrade outside the RTS building, during which time one plainclothes policeman was injured in the eye. President Vučić met with the man that night, posting on his Instagram account that he had been injured by "Bolshevik plenum members," though footage of the incident shows the policeman being struck by a uniformed officer. While Vučić and Minister Ivica Dačić claimed that the students attacked the police, officers can be seen beginning the violence by striking students with batons in video footage taken at the scene. Protesters announced that they intended to blockade the building for 22 hours, leading RTS to state that they would broadcast from their offices in Košutnjak the following day.
Reinforcements sent to "Students 2.0"
In the improvised tent camp in Pioneers Park, the pro-government students were replaced by muscular persons wearing caps and hoods, who attacked passersby on at least one occasion; some of those persons were filmed and
doxxed
Doxing or doxxing is the act of publicly providing personally identifiable information about an individual or organization, usually via the Internet and without their consent. Historically, the term has been used to refer to both the aggregat ...
. The following day, a group of military veterans from the defunct
Special Operations Unit set up tents while wearing green uniforms with red berets. The unit, which was disbanded in 2003, had carried out assassinations of
Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević ( sr-Cyrl, Слободан Милошевић, ; 20 August 1941 – 11 March 2006) was a Yugoslav and Serbian politician who was the President of Serbia between 1989 and 1997 and President of the Federal Republic of Yugos ...
's political opponents and has been accused of involvement in war crimes during the
Kosovo war
The Kosovo War (; sr-Cyrl-Latn, Косовски рат, Kosovski rat) was an armed conflict in Kosovo that lasted from 28 February 1998 until 11 June 1999. It ...
. Among the veterans present was
Goran Radosavljević, the last commander of the
Special Police Units, and Živojin Ivanović, a JSO commander known also as Žika Crnogorac. A JSO veteran was seen attacking an onlooker with a stick in video footage taken at the park.
On 12 March, professors met at the Faculty of Medicine of the
University of Belgrade
The University of Belgrade () is a public university, public research university in Belgrade, Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia.
Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it me ...
, and after a long and heated debate, voted in favor of a general strike, which will begin on 17 March and will last until the students' demands are met. On the same day, near the tent camp in Pioneers park, bypassers were physically attacked by the director of the
PUC "Komunalac" from
Kula, Marko Pešić, who is also a member of the Kula committee of the SNS.
In solidarity with the students' demands and their protests across Serbia, students and high school students from
Valjevo
Valjevo (Serbian Cyrillic: Ваљево, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Kolubara District in western Serbia. According to the 2022 census, the city itself has a population of 56,145 while the city admini ...
set off on a protest walk to Belgrade in the morning of 12 March to join the "15 for 15" protest on 15 March; they reached
Lazarevac
Lazarevac ( sr-cyr, Лазаревац, ) is a municipality of the city of Belgrade. , the town has a total population of 27,635 inhabitants, while the municipal area has a total of 55,146 inhabitants.
Its name stems from the name of medieval Ser ...
in the evening, where they were welcomed by locals and provided accommodation. Students who set off from
Kragujevac
Kragujevac ( sr-Cyrl, Крагујевац, ) is the List of cities in Serbia, fourth largest city in Serbia and the administrative centre of the Šumadija District. It is the historical centre of the geographical region of Šumadija in central Se ...
on foot for Belgrade arrived in
Rača on the evening of 12 March. They were met at the entrance by tractor drivers, and given a festive welcome with a folklore performance.
On 13 March, President Vučić asked the pro-government "Students 2.0" encampment in Pioneers Park to temporarily withdraw ahead of the protest in front of the National Assembly on 15 March. That same day, a group of about a hundred people, most of whom belonged to the
Movement of Socialists
The Movement of Socialists (, abbr. PS) is a Left-wing nationalism, left-wing nationalist List of political parties in Serbia, political party in Serbia. It was founded in 2008 by Aleksandar Vulin, who served as the party's president until 2022 ...
, blocked the entrance to the office of the news channel
N1. In a parliamentary session,
Aleksandar Vulin, an ally of Vučić, confirmed that he organized the blockade, which lasted for several hours, and added that "it won't be difficult for them to come again." Students travelling to Belgrade on foot from across the country continued their marches.
On 14 March, in the early morning around 150 tractors, most of them without a licence plate, surrounded the Pionirski Park where the "Students 2.0" are located. At the same time, the National Assembly was closed until 17 March due to "safety reasons". In the morning of the same day, all trains were cancelled due to a "bomb threat". The
European Public Prosecutor's Office
The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) is an Agencies, independent bodies and joint undertakings of the European Union and the Euratom, independent body of the European Union (EU) with a juridical personality, established under the Treat ...
(EPPO), led by
Laura Codruța Kövesi
Laura Codruța Kövesi (; ; born 15 May 1973) is the first European Public Prosecutor's Office, European Chief Prosecutor and the former chief prosecutor of Romania's National Anticorruption Directorate (), a position she held from 2013 until ...
, announced that it is investigating potential misuse of EU
IPA funds in regards to the Novi Sad train station. In the evening, most of the students and citizens finished their marches and arrived in Belgrade. According to the MUP, the arrival of the students was attended by 31,000 people.
UN Human Rights Office
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is a department of the United Nations Secretariat that works to promote and protect human rights that are guaranteed under international law and stipulated in the Univers ...
spokesperson Jeremy Laurence urged the authorities to allow the protest to take place without unwarranted interference.
''15. za 15''
On 15 March, the protest, called "15th for 15" (), was held in Belgrade in front of the National Assembly and at Slavija, where fifteen minutes of silence was observed. The protest was attended by thousands of students from Belgrade University and other universities, citizens from across the country, and veterans of the 63rd Parachute Brigade. Student organizers declared the protest over after claiming bottles and stones were thrown at protesters from the pro-government "Students 2.0" encampment near the Serbian parliament, leading to brief tension between protesters and Gendarmery, without escalation of violence. Around the same time, at 7:11 pm, an
LRAD was allegedly deployed on peaceful protesters during 15 minutes of silence for the victims of the Novi Sad collapse. The MUP later denied the allegations in spite of video footage of the incident, as did president Vučić, who called for the prosecution of those "lying" and "spreading disinformation". The Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade did not launch an investigation into use of a
sonic weapon
Sonic and ultrasonic weapons (USW) are weapons of various types that use sound to injure or incapacitate an opponent. Some sonic weapons make a focused beam of sound or of ultrasound; others produce an area field of sound. , military and police ...
, instead issuing a statement claiming no indications of its use, citing reports from the Ministries of Defence and Health. The number of protesters present in Belgrade at the protest is disputed: the official government figure provided by MUP was 107,000, an analysis by the Archive of Public Meetings found there were between 275,000 and 325,000 present "with the possibility that the number was even higher," and , the former MUP minister, estimated there were at least half a million protesters.
In its live coverage of the protest, the pro-government television station ''Informer TV'' organized a celebration. The editor-in-chief of Informer, Dragan J. Vučićević and SNS official,
Vladimir Đukanović were present in the studio. "There is a special song, can we play it now, on the occasion of this sound cannon. It goes like this:
"Wind, blow through the liver", Đukanović asked. "This one is for the sound cannon", said Vučićević while fulfilling his guest's musical wish.
On 16 March numerous reports emerged on social media about unusual health symptoms among protesters in Serbia, including
dizziness
Dizziness is an imprecise term that can refer to a sense of disorientation in space, vertigo, or lightheadedness. It can also refer to Balance disorder, disequilibrium or a non-specific feeling, such as giddiness or foolishness.
Dizziness is a ...
,
arrhythmia
Arrhythmias, also known as cardiac arrhythmias, are irregularities in the cardiac cycle, heartbeat, including when it is too fast or too slow. Essentially, this is anything but normal sinus rhythm. A resting heart rate that is too fast – ab ...
,
hearing loss
Hearing loss is a partial or total inability to hear. Hearing loss may be present at birth or acquired at any time afterwards. Hearing loss may occur in one or both ears. In children, hearing problems can affect the ability to acquire spo ...
in one or both ears,
and disturbances in pacemakers. Many citizens also suffered orthopedic injuries caused by a
stampede
A stampede () is a situation in which a group of large animals suddenly start running in the same direction, especially because they are excited or frightened. Although the term is most often applied to animals, there are cases of humans stamped ...
following the alleged use of a sonic weapon.
Serbian volleyball player Vanja Grbić initially claimed that his colleague Marko Samardžić had suffered seven heart attacks due to the weapon's effect on his pacemaker but later revised his statement, saying Samardžić had simply fallen ill during the protests. All of these concerns led students to organize a protest on March 17 in front of the Emergency Center, demanding the publication of the exact number of people treated after March 15 incident.
On 17 March, the Judicial Authority Union announced that all employees of judicial authorities, courts, public prosecutor's offices and penal institutions will go on a full-day strike on 18 March. According to the statement, all employees will stop working in the premises of their institutions. On the same day, citizens of
Obrenovac
Obrenovac ( sr-cyr, Обреновац, ) is a municipality of the city of Belgrade. According to the 2022 census results, the municipality has a population of 68,882 inhabitants, while the urban area has 25,380 inhabitants. The old name for Obreno ...
gathered in front of the municipal building on the main square to express their dissatisfaction after a video of municipal members leaving Belgrade's Pioneer Park was released on social media. The protesters threw eggs at the entrance door of the municipality and its employees. The assistant to the mayor in charge of social activities and education, Dragan Blažić Vivak, was hit in the head with several eggs. Six protesters were arrested after the incident.
On 18 March, in a TV interview, president Vučić said "Faculty professors who do nothing, except participate in blockades, will get potatoes. Tomorrow, I think, this part will be paid out for them. They will get nothing. There is currently joy in millions of homes in Serbia. People do not want anyone to rob them."
On 19 March, several dozen citizens of
Sremska Mitrovica
Sremska Mitrovica (; sr-Cyrl, Сремска Митровица, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city in Serbia. It is situated on the left bank of the Sava, Sava river. , the city has a total population of 36,764 inhabitants, while its adminis ...
gathered in front of the local City Administration building, dissatisfied with the fact that a large number of city officials, including Mayor Branislav Nedimović, falsely presented themselves as students at a camp in Pioneer Park in Belgrade, and on that occasion several demonstrators
spat on Nedimović. Members of the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...
Vladimir Prebilič and Gordan Bosanac from the Greens group addressed a letter to
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...
President
Ursula von der Leyen
Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen (; ; born 8 October 1958) is a German politician, serving as president of the European Commission since 2019. She served in the Cabinet of Germany, German federal government between 2005 and 2019, holding position ...
expressing deep concern regarding her scheduled meeting with President Vučić next week.
On 21 March, a planned SNS meeting in Niš was cancelled after protesters threw eggs at party officials, leading police to blockade the historic , where the meeting was to be held. Ana Brnabić, Miloš Vučević, and
Darko Glišić were supposed to be in attendance; mayor , who was also planning on attending, was splashed with water and his guards were pelted with eggs. That same day, around 10.000 people attended a commemorative walk in Novi Sad to pay their respects to Vukašin Crnčević, a 19-year-old who died earlier that day from serious injuries sustained four months earlier in the collapse of the railway station canopy in Novi Sad. In
Bogatić
Bogatić ( sr-cyr, Богатић, ) is a town and municipality located in the Mačva District of western Serbia. As of the 2022 census, it has 24,522 residents.
Geography
Bogatić is located in the western part of Serbia. The nearest large ...
, protesters threw eggs at the municipality building and at the restaurant owned by the local SNS municipal functionary. That same day, the mother of one of the victim of the canopy collapse informed the public that she had received threats and photoshopped pictures of her dead son because of her support for the protesters; she reported the case to the police, who dismissed these claims.
First zbor
On 22 March, the first "Zbor" was announced in Kragujevac. Citizens also organized "Zbor" gatherings, based on the principals of direct vote, in
Bogatić
Bogatić ( sr-cyr, Богатић, ) is a town and municipality located in the Mačva District of western Serbia. As of the 2022 census, it has 24,522 residents.
Geography
Bogatić is located in the western part of Serbia. The nearest large ...
,
Trstenik,
Arilje
Arilje ( sr-cyr, Ариље, ) is a town and municipality located in the Zlatibor District of southwestern Serbia. The population of the town is 6,639, while the municipality has 17,063 inhabitants (2022 census).
Geography
The municipality of Aril ...
,
Pančevo
Pančevo (Serbian Cyrillic: Панчево, ; ; ; ; ) is a list of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the South Banat District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. It is located on the shores of rivers Timiș (ri ...
,
Čačak
Čačak ( sr-Cyrl, Чачак, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Moravica District in central Serbia. It is located in the West Morava Valley. According to the 2022 census, the city itself has a population ...
,
Vlasotince
Vlasotince ( sr-cyr, Власотинце) is a town and municipality located in Jablanica District of southern Serbia. As of 2022, the municipality has 25,695 inhabitants, while the town itself has a population of 14,924 inhabitants.
History
Ac ...
,
Vršac
Vršac ( sr-Cyrl, Вршац, ) is a city in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. As of 2022, the city urban area had a population of 31,946, while the city administrative area had 45,462 inhabitants. It is located in the geographical ...
,
Zrenjanin
Zrenjanin ( sr-Cyrl, Зрењанин, ; ; ; ; ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Central Banat District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The city urban area has a population of 67,129 inh ...
,
Šid
Šid ( sr-cyr, Шид, ; ) is a town and municipality located in the Srem District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. It has a population of 12,628, while the municipality has 27,894 inhabitants (2022 census). A border crossing betw ...
,
Novi Sad
Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; #Name, see below for other names) is the List of cities in Serbia, second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pannoni ...
,
Smederevo
Smederevo ( sr-Cyrl, Смедерево, ) is a list of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Podunavlje District in eastern Serbia. It is situated on the right bank of the Danube, about downstream of the Serbian capital, ...
,
Bač,
Pirot
Pirot ( sr-Cyrl, Пирот) is a city and the administrative center of the Pirot District in southeastern Serbia. According to 2022 census, the urban area of the city has a population of 34,942, while the population of the city administrative are ...
,
Niš
Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names of European cities in different languages (M–P)#N, names in other languages), less often spelled in English as Nish, is the list of cities in Serbia, third largest city in Serbia and the administrative cente ...
,
Kragujevac
Kragujevac ( sr-Cyrl, Крагујевац, ) is the List of cities in Serbia, fourth largest city in Serbia and the administrative centre of the Šumadija District. It is the historical centre of the geographical region of Šumadija in central Se ...
, and several
Belgrade
Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
municipalities. On the same day, the employees of Pantransport, a public transport company from Pančevo, announced that they will hold a one-day strike on 28 March and stop all transportation on city and intercity lines. The decision was made in support of the students, but also because of the dissatisfaction of drivers who no longer want to transport SNS activists to rallies.
In Čačak, a group of student protesters from the local Technical Faculty were attacked by a group of young, masked men. Hundreds of people protested, and some of the protesters stormed the city administration building, but left soon afterwards. That same day, president Vučić told the gathered citizens at the National Theater in
Leskovac
Leskovac ( sr-Cyrl, Лесковац, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Jablanica District in Southern Serbia (Geographical Region), southern Serbia. According to the 2022 census, the city itself has a p ...
: "Those police officers who do not want to protect order and the law will be changed, those prosecutors who do not want to protect order and the law will be changed". According to a statement signed by 220 judges and prosecutors in Serbia, "by declaring that those prosecutors who do not protect order and the law will be replaced, the President of the Republic has written a new page in the twelve-year enslavement and humiliation of the judiciary system".
On 23 March, in the Belgrade municipalities of
Vračar
Vračar ( sr-Cyrl, Врачар, ) is an affluent urban area and Subdivisions of Belgrade, municipality of the city of Belgrade known as the location of many embassies and museums. According to the 2022 census results, the municipality has a popul ...
and
Zvezdara
Zvezdara ( sr-cyr, Звездара, ) is a municipality of the city of Belgrade. The municipality is geographically hilly and with many forests. According to the 2022 census results, the municipality has a population of 172,625 inhabitants.
The ...
, citizens gathered around SNS booths and held a silent vigil for 17 minutes, honoring the victims of the
Kočani nightclub fire in
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...
, after which they started chanting anti-SNS slogans. The police protected the SNS members until they were forced to leave in the evening.
On 24 March, thousands of protesters gathered in Belgrade to oppose plans to redevelop the
former Yugoslav army headquarters, heavily damaged during the
1999 NATO bombing, into a luxury complex financed by
Jared Kushner
Jared Corey Kushner (born January 10, 1981) is an American businessman and investor. He is a son-in-law of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, through his marriage to Ivanka Trump and served as a senior advisor in his father-in- ...
's firm,
Affinity Partners. The Serbian government approved a multi-million-dollar contract with Kushner's company last year, granting a 99-year
lease
A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the user (referred to as the ''lessee'') to pay the owner (referred to as the ''lessor'') for the use of an asset. Property, buildings and vehicles are common assets that are leased. Industrial ...
on the land. Demonstrators demanded the restoration of the site's heritage status and the cancellation of the development project. Opposition to the redevelopment project extends beyond protesters. Serbian architects, engineers, and opposition parties voiced their disapproval, arguing that the site should remain a cultural monument rather than be developed for profit.
On 26 March, students and professors blocked
Branko's Bridge in Belgrade for three hours, protesting the pay cuts for the education workers.
On 27 March, pro-government tabloid ''Kurir'' published an un-signed
op-ed
An op-ed, short for "opposite the editorial page," is a type of written prose commonly found in newspapers, magazines, and online publications. They usually represent a writer's strong and focused opinion on an issue of relevance to a targeted a ...
stating: "Stop harassing citizens. It might so happen that the citizens react differently to some future bridge blockades, than they have so far. That those who believed in
ro-opposition sociologistJovo Bakić will swim in the river."
On 28 March, students gathered in front of pro-government TV station ''Informer'', protesting the station's biased reporting and the
doxxing
Doxing or doxxing is the act of publicly providing personally identifiable information about an individual or organization, usually via the Internet and without their consent. Historically, the term has been used to refer to both the aggregati ...
of protesters in its live studio program.
On 29 March, students blocking the faculties of the University of Novi Sad announced the route of their planned cycling trip to
Strasbourg
Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...
, with the idea of submitting a document on the violation of rights in Serbia to the
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The court hears applications alleging that a co ...
.
On 30 March, the Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy in
Niš
Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names of European cities in different languages (M–P)#N, names in other languages), less often spelled in English as Nish, is the list of cities in Serbia, third largest city in Serbia and the administrative cente ...
, Natalija Jovanović, who previously expressed her support for the students, was attacked by a woman with a knife, after which she was hospitalised. In the Belgrade district of
Žarkovo
Žarkovo ( sr-Cyrl, Жарково, ) is an List of Belgrade neighborhoods, urban neighborhood of Belgrade, Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Čukarica.
Location and divisions
Žarkovo (Greater Žarkovo) is one of the most po ...
, a passenger car drove through the crowd during the 16 minute-long silent vigil and injured one person; the driver was arrested. On the same day, protesters in
Užice
Užice ( sr-cyr, Ужице, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative centre of the Zlatibor District in western Serbia. It is located on the banks of the river Đetinja. According to the 2022 census, the city proper has a popu ...
blocked the local motorway; the blockade started with 16 minutes of silence. In
Subotica
Subotica (, ; , , ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city in Central Europe and the administrative center of the North Bačka District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. Formerly the largest city of Vojvodina region, contemporary Sub ...
, protesters gathered at the local Hippodrome, where they collected signatures in local communities so they could organize the first residents' assemblies ("Zbor"). From there, the protest participants set off along the Sombor Road; the column was led by tractors and bikers.
On 31 March, students, professors and citizens gathered in Belgrade, Novi Sad and Niš to express their support for the assaulted dean. President Vučić publicly called the dean "a criminal
epardoned" and said the dean's injuries were "like a cut you get when cutting a cucumber or an onion".
Tour de Strasbourg
On 3 April, 80 students embarked on a 1300 km cycling journey from Belgrade to Strasbourg to deliver a letter to the EU institutions. The journey titled "Tour de Strasbourg"'s goal is to raise awareness about the protests in Serbia around Europe. On their way they were greeted by people on the streets including several major European cities such as Budapest (with the mayor of the city attending), Bratislava and Vienna, in which many people from the Serbian diaspora live. They arrived in Strasbourg April 15 as planned.
Continuation of protests and preparations for the pro-government rally
On 9 April, in the evening hours, citizens from several Belgrade municipalities protested near
Vukov Spomenik
Vukov Spomenik or colloquially Vuk ( sr-cyr, Вуков Споменик; ) is an List of Belgrade neighborhoods, urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located on the tripoint of Belgrade's municipalities of Zvezdara, Palilu ...
, when a black
Volvo
The Volvo Group (; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distribution and sale of truck ...
drove through the gathered crowd, injuring an undercover policeman; the driver was later arrested.
The rally of the newly-formed "Movement for the People and the State", announced by president Vučić, was scheduled for 12 April in Belgrade. The news portal Nova.rs obtained an audio recording in which Nataša Marković, a member of the Executive Board of the state-owned
Poštanska štedionica bank, can allegedly be heard pressuring employees to attend the rally, telling them that they should support "the state-owned bank which provides their daily bread."
On 10 April, 20 plainclothes police officers entered the building of the Faculty of Medicine in
Niš
Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names of European cities in different languages (M–P)#N, names in other languages), less often spelled in English as Nish, is the list of cities in Serbia, third largest city in Serbia and the administrative cente ...
and questioned around 30 students who had blocked the entrance to the higher education institution with benches. The students, who were detained at the Faculty in the afternoon hours, were summoned to give statements at the local Police Department. Citizens gathered in front of the Police Department to show support for the students. Since the blockade continued, the police entered the Faculty building again on the next day, however, the protesters gathered in front of the Faculty to express their support for the blockade.
During the month of April, a total of 16
Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
n citizens with permanent residence in Serbia, have been declared "threat to national security" due to their support of the protests on
social media
Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...
, and were ordered to leave Serbia; in some cases, these Croatian citizens were
de facto forced to abandon their family members, who are Serbian citizens. On 10 April, students organized a protest of support for the deported Croatian citizen, who was forced to leave her husband in Serbia.
On 11 April, students from
Jagodina
Jagodina ( sr-cyrl, Јагодина, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Pomoravlje District in central Serbia. It is situated on the banks of the Belica (river), Belica River, in the geographical region of � ...
,
Ćuprija
Ćuprija (Serbian Cyrillic: Ћуприја, ) is a town and municipality located in the Pomoravlje District of central Serbia. The population of the town is 16,522, while the municipality has 25,325 inhabitants (2022 census).
History
The Romans ...
,
Paraćin
Paraćin ( sr-Cyrl, Параћин, ) is a town and municipality located in the Pomoravlje District of central Serbia. Located in the Velika Morava river valley, north of Kruševac and southeast of Kragujevac, the town had a population of 22,349 ...
and Niš arrived in
Novi Pazar
Novi Pazar ( sr-cyr, Нови Пазар) is a List of cities in Serbia, city located in the Raška District of southwestern Serbia. As of the 2022 census, the urban area has 71,462 inhabitants, while the city administrative area has 106,720 inha ...
on foot, as did their fellow students who traveled by bicycle from Belgrade, Novi Sad and Niš. They were welcomed with red carpet by students from the State University in Novi Pazar, a day before the scheduled student protest in that city.
On 12 April, Vučić held his rally "Ne damo Srbiju" ("We will not surrender Serbia") for the new movement with around 55.000 people attending.
The blockade of RTS and RTV

In the evening hours of 14 April, the students called for an immediate action to block two public broadcasters RTS (both studios in Takovska and Košutnjak in Belgrade) and the studio of RTV in Novi Sad because they have not reported about the students cycling to Strasbourg. The main demand for the blockades was REM (The Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media) not having a board since November. The next morning, some journalists were escorted by the police to work through the fast-food place nearby.
On 15 April, as scheduled, the cyclists arrived at Strasbourg where they talked with the representatives of the
European commission
The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...
, gave them letters detailing the situation in Serbia since 1 November and read one letter addressed to French president
Emmanuel Macron
Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 2017. He was Ministry of Economy and Finance (France), Minister of Economics, Industr ...
. Due to the blockades RTS changed the studio and reported from 's studio in Šid.
On 16 April, the students announced that they will run from Novi Sad to Brussels from April 26 to May 11. On the same day, a
new government was formed with
Đuro Macut as the prime minister.
On 17 April, the rector of the
University of Belgrade
The University of Belgrade () is a public university, public research university in Belgrade, Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia.
Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it me ...
, Vladan Đokić, has been summoned to report to the police as a citizen. The summons was issued to collect information in the pre-investigation procedure for the criminal offense of abuse of office. The authorities have repeatedly called for the arrest of the rector Đokić and pointed to his alleged responsibility for the protests. The rector was questioned on 18 April as part of a preliminary investigation; several thousand citizens gathered in support in front of the Criminal Police Directorate building in
New Belgrade
New Belgrade (, ) is a Subdivisions of Belgrade, municipality of the city of Belgrade. It was a Planned community, planned city and now is the central business district of Serbia and South East Europe. Construction began in 1948 in a previously un ...
.
On 19 April, part of the employees Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS), organized in a Zbor, publicly asked the management of the public service and the relevant departments to urgently contact them and provide clear guidelines for work during the blockade. "If no one contacts us as soon as possible, we will consider that the management has withdrawn and is unable to manage the public media service.
..We demand an immediate change in the editorial concept of the RTS news program and professional reporting, in accordance with applicable laws and the journalistic code, which includes reporting on all current events in Serbia, which are of public interest to all citizens.", according to the statement issued after the Zbor meeting.
On 22 April, a welcoming ceremony was organized for student cyclists, participants of the "Tour to Strasbourg", in Novi Sad. Educators, students and citizens gathered in front of the Ministry of Education in Belgrade, to protest the election of the new Minister of Education, Dejan Vuk Stanković. Student gatherings have also taken place in Niš and Kragujevac.
On 23 April, for the first time, opposition councilors of the
Gornji Milanovac
Gornji Milanovac ( sr-Cyrl, Гoрњи Милановац, ) is a town and municipality located in the Moravica District of central Serbia. The population of the town is 23,109, while the population of the municipality is 38,985 (2022 census data).
...
Municipal Assembly organized and hosted a local celebration of the Municipal Day – a memorial to the
Second Serbian Uprising
The Second Serbian Uprising ( / ''Drugi srpski ustanak'', ) was the second phase of the Serbian Revolution against the Ottoman Empire, which erupted shortly after the re-annexation of the country to the Ottoman Empire in 1813. The occupation was ...
. The gathered citizens also had the opportunity to sign a petition with demands for the abolition of disciplinary proceedings against the local teachers, who took part in protest blockades; a review of the appointment of the new Minister of Education and a reduction in government pressure on the university and school community. On the same day, the plenum of
Sremski Karlovci Gymnasium graduates entered into a complete blockade, thereby expressing their solidarity with the students in the fight against corruption and promoting the rule of law in the country.
On 25 April, President Vučić, appearing on ''Informer TV'', said: "I'm afraid that something bad has started to appear within me, in my head, and that is - how to get back at all the people who have caused so much harm to me, my family, my children and everyone. And I can't do that, I can't do that to myself, I fight against it every day."
Marathon race to Brussels
On 25 April, 21 students from all universities in Serbia set off on the race from Novi Sad, with the plan being to reach the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...
session in 18 days. They are running in relays to Brussels - one group covers five to 15 kilometers, then rests, and the other one takes over the route. Their goal is to inform MEPs about the socio-political situation in Serbia.
In
Novi Sad
Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; #Name, see below for other names) is the List of cities in Serbia, second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pannoni ...
, hundreds of high school pupils from
Belgrade
Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
,
Jagodina
Jagodina ( sr-cyrl, Јагодина, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Pomoravlje District in central Serbia. It is situated on the banks of the Belica (river), Belica River, in the geographical region of � ...
,
Subotica
Subotica (, ; , , ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city in Central Europe and the administrative center of the North Bačka District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. Formerly the largest city of Vojvodina region, contemporary Sub ...
,
Užice
Užice ( sr-cyr, Ужице, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative centre of the Zlatibor District in western Serbia. It is located on the banks of the river Đetinja. According to the 2022 census, the city proper has a popu ...
,
Valjevo
Valjevo (Serbian Cyrillic: Ваљево, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Kolubara District in western Serbia. According to the 2022 census, the city itself has a population of 56,145 while the city admini ...
and
Vrbas walked on foot from their respective cities, to join the Novi Sad pupils for a large protests scheduled for the evening of 25 April. The student support rallies continued in
Negotin
Negotin ( sr-cyrl, Неготин, ; ) is a town and municipality located in the Bor District of Southern and Eastern Serbia, eastern Serbia. It is situated near the borders between Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria. It is the judicial center of the Bo ...
, where the third zbor was also held. In
Sremska Mitrovica
Sremska Mitrovica (; sr-Cyrl, Сремска Митровица, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city in Serbia. It is situated on the left bank of the Sava, Sava river. , the city has a total population of 36,764 inhabitants, while its adminis ...
, citizens held a 16-minute silent vigil and afterwards blocked the local road for 5 hours.
Police attempts to disperse faculty blockade in Novi Sad
On 28 April, students blocking the Novi Sad faculties, together with gathered citizens, organized an action called "Morning Workout" in front of the Faculty of Sports. When dean Patrik Drid appeared and wanted to enter the faculty, the crowd prevented him from doing so. Soon, dean Drid appeared in front of the building, together with riot police. As filmed by TV cameras,
Žandarmerija and the Police Intervention Unit in full riot gear began to push back students and citizens who were standing at the entrance to the faculty with shields and batons. Members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Serbia), Ministry of Internal Affairs failed to break through the blockade in their first attempt. The gathered citizens called on the police to lower their shields and show that they are with the people. However, Žandarmerija members broke through to the entrance using pepper spray and pushed back the citizens. The police units failed to enter the building, and left the premises soon afterwards. On the same day, citizens gathered in the local Zbor organizations, with the support of the Faculty of Medicine, arrived at the Faculty of Sports, to support the students in the blockade.
On the same day, the controversial bid for the selection of members of the REM Council (regulatory body overseeing the media) was canceled, and a new bid was announced; the student protesters announced that the blockade of RTS facilities was ending after 14 days.
On 1 May, student protesters were joined by the Union of Independent Trade Unions of Serbia (SSSS), the United Branch Trade Union "Nezavisnost", the Association of Free and Independent Trade Unions (ASNS), the United Trade Unions of Serbia "Sloga" and the Confederation of Free Trade Unions. The protest was held in front of the Serbian Government building in Belgrade. The protesters presented demands for amendments to the Labor Law and the Law on Strike.
On 5 May, employees of judicial institutions across Serbia went on a full-scale strike. The judicial union announced earlier that their demands include decent wages, improved working conditions, clear recognition of the role that administrative and professional staff play in the functioning of the judiciary, and an end to the systematic underestimation of their work.
Demands for early elections
On 5 May, the student protesters called for early parliamentary elections, saying that "the authorities are not showing the slightest initiative" to meet their demands. The government that would be formed after the early elections should prepare fair and just conditions for holding next ones, and its mandate should be fixed-term. The students have no leaders and all issues, including appearances in the media, are decided by the plenums. The student protesters announced a unified list of candidates to take part in the elections. Faculties will propose a certain number of their candidates to run for the student list, and each faculty will vet and talk with potential candidates. In Belgrade, where 51 faculties are currently in blockade, the idea is for each to propose two candidates and two reserves. The sorting algorithm will guarantee compliance with the Law on Gender Equality. The candidate names are kept secret until the elections are officially announced. The opposition parties which supported the call for early elections are: Green-Left Front, Democratic Party (DS), Ecological Uprising, Kreni-promeni, PSG. The People's Movement of Serbia had been advocating for early elections even before the students' demands.
On 9 May,
Novi Sad
Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; #Name, see below for other names) is the List of cities in Serbia, second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pannoni ...
zbors organized a street blockade at 30 locations throughout the city, demanding local elections. On 10 May, several zbors in
Kragujevac
Kragujevac ( sr-Cyrl, Крагујевац, ) is the List of cities in Serbia, fourth largest city in Serbia and the administrative centre of the Šumadija District. It is the historical centre of the geographical region of Šumadija in central Se ...
organized a protest, urging the authorities to fix the derelict local overpass. On 11 May, graduates of the
Zemun Gymnasium announced that they have physically blocked the school due to non-compliance with the agreement regarding the end of the school year, which, they claim, was adopted at the teachers' council. The decision to block was made at a plenum held on the same day.
Clashes in Kula
On 20 May, in
Kula, a protest was held on the plateau in front of the Kula Municipality building, during which a banner with the inscription "Your
colour revolution has failed", which had been placed on the building earlier by SNS members, was removed from the Kula Municipality building and set on fire. At the same time, SNS supporters gathered in a nearby park, in front of the party premises. The gatherings were peaceful at first, but the situation escalated into a verbal conflict and afterwards into a physical confrontation. Police units in
riot gear
Riot control is a form of public order policing used by law enforcement, military, paramilitary or security forces to control, disperse, and arrest people who are involved in a riot, unlawful demonstration or unlawful protest.
If a riot is sp ...
separated the opposing sides, however, at one point, SNS sympathizers used fireworks aimed at the protesters.
Symbols and slogans

A common protester slogan has been "corruption kills".
Protest symbols included red handprints with the caption "your hands are bloody", referring to the authorities and ruling politicians, and bleeding doves, with the dove being one of the symbols of Novi Sad.
Various banners could be seen during the protests and blockades. Most of them mention Vučić and other members of the ruling party, the public prosecutor , and generally express support for the students. Some of the banners feature quotes or references from Serbian and world pop culture, such as ''Better Call Saul'' ("Not Even Saul Goodman, Saul Will Save You"), ''Grand Theft Auto VI'' ("The People Rose Up Before [the Release of] ''GTA VI''"), ''Game of Thrones'' Daenerys Targaryen, Charli XCX's album ''Brat (album), Brat'', among others. National Serbian flags, both contemporary and historical, as well as the flags of many Serbian cities and municipalities, and university and faculty flags, are common sights at protests. Ferrari flags and paraphernalia, once a prominent symbol of opposition to the Milošević regime, have also made a return. Students also often call out Vučić's excessive behavior, arguing that he is acting ''ultra vires'' by involving himself in matters that are out of his legal capacity as the President of Serbia.
Some banners also include the word "" (""), a reference to ćaci u školu, an anti-protest graffiti ''ćaci u školu''; this was largely seen as an attempt by the ruling SNS to provoke the students, backfiring due to the creator's illiteracy. The pro-government encampment in Pioneers Park was widely dubbed Ćaciland Protest Camp, ''ćacilend'' by protesters. Another catchphrase which caught on, originating from the social news aggregate Reddit, is "pump it" ("pumpaj"), meaning to "keep increasing the pressure", which also found its place in memes and banners.
Some protests have specific names that are wordplays: "Sretnimo se na Sretenje ("Let's meet on
Sretenje"), "Iz Banata, iz inata" ("From Banat, out of spite"), "1.2. na 3 mosta" ("1.2. (February 1) on 3 bridges"), "Na korak od pravde" ("A step away from justice"), "Pod našom Autokomanda#Interchange, (Auto)komandom" ("Under our (Auto)command"), "Munze želi konza" (A Šatrovački, šatra saying of "Zemun želi zakon", which means "Zemun wants (the) Law", a popular saying of "Munze konza", which means "Zemun rules!"), and among others.
Reactions
Criticism of protests
Russian President Vladimir Putin voiced support for the Serbian authorities and rejected what he called a "
colour revolution".
The EU Commission enlargement director-general, Gert Jan Koopman, stated that the EU "will not accept or support a violent change of power in Serbia."
US President Donald Trump's envoy for special missions, Richard Grenell, wrote that the United States supports peaceful demonstrations but does not support "those who undermine the rule of law or who forcefully take over government buildings."
Neutral stance
The von der Leyen Commission II, European Commission and the Council of the European Union have neither supported nor condemned the protests. On 28 January 2025, a group of Serbian public figures sent a letter to EU officials, including European Commission President
Ursula von der Leyen
Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen (; ; born 8 October 1958) is a German politician, serving as president of the European Commission since 2019. She served in the Cabinet of Germany, German federal government between 2005 and 2019, holding position ...
, urging them to become more actively involved in supporting a "free, democratic and European Serbia".
Many Serbs in support of the protests have interpreted this lack of attention as a silent backing of the Vučić government. For example, several days after "15. za 15" protest in Belgrade, Vučić met with European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos in Brussels, a meeting the EU diplomat described as "constructive." Kos made no mention of the use of a sound cannon against non-violent protesters the weekend before, drawing criticism from protesters and their supporters. Support for EU membership has fallen in Serbia since the protests began, with many Serbs in support of the protests viewing the EU as an opponent of democratization and bureaucratic reform efforts, resulting in EU flags and other pro-European symbols being noticeably absent from rallies.
Domestic support
Protests were publicly supported by over 5,000 university professors, cooperators and researchers.
Political organizations
Political organizations which supported the protests include:
*Red Action / Red Initiative
*New Communist Party of Yugoslavia, NKPJ/SKOJ
Professional associations and cultural institutions
A number of associations and cultural institutions supported the protests, including:
=Professional associations
=
*Serbian Medical Society
*Dental Chamber of Serbia
*Bar Association of Serbia
*Association of Writers of Serbia
*PEN Center Serbia
*Association of Drama Artists of Serbia
*Association of Screenwriters of Serbia
*Association of Composers of Serbia
*Association of Musical Artists of Serbia
*Association of Jazz, Pop and Rock Musicians of Serbia
*Association of Literature Translators of Serbia
*International Council of Museums, ICOM Serbia
=Theatres and orchestras
=
*National Theatre in Belgrade
*Ballet Ensemble of National Theatre
*
Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra
The Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra () is an orchestra located in Belgrade, Serbia. It is regularly considered one of the finest in the country.
History
Unlike most European countries and cities, Serbia and Belgrade were rather late in receivin ...
*Belgrade Drama Theatre
*Yugoslav Drama Theatre
*Terazije Theatre
*Atelje 212
*Zvezdara teatar, Zvezdara Theatre
*Teatar na brdu
*Boško Buha Theatre
*Duško Radović Theatre
*Serbian National Theatre, Serbian National Theatre in Novi Sad
*Orchestra of Serbian National Theatre's Opera
*Novi Sad Theatre
*Novi Sad Youth Theatre
*National Theatre in Niš
*
Niš
Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names of European cities in different languages (M–P)#N, names in other languages), less often spelled in English as Nish, is the list of cities in Serbia, third largest city in Serbia and the administrative cente ...
Puppet Theatre
*Princely Serbian Theatre
*
Kragujevac
Kragujevac ( sr-Cyrl, Крагујевац, ) is the List of cities in Serbia, fourth largest city in Serbia and the administrative centre of the Šumadija District. It is the historical centre of the geographical region of Šumadija in central Se ...
Children's and Youth's Theatre
*National Theatre of
Sombor
Sombor ( sr-Cyrl, Сомбор, ; ; ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the West Bačka District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The city has a total population of 41,814 (), while its adminis ...
*Zrenjanin Theatre, National Theatre of Zrenjanin
*
Lazarevac
Lazarevac ( sr-cyr, Лазаревац, ) is a municipality of the city of Belgrade. , the town has a total population of 27,635 inhabitants, while the municipal area has a total of 55,146 inhabitants.
Its name stems from the name of medieval Ser ...
Puls Theatre
=Museums, libraries and archives
=
*Ethnographic Museum, Belgrade, Ethnographic Museum of Serbia
*Historical Museum of Serbia
*Museum of Yugoslavia
*Museum of Contemporary Art, Belgrade, Belgrade Museum of Contemporary Art
*Museum of Applied Arts, Belgrade, Belgrade Museum of Applied Arts
*Museum of Natural History, Belgrade, Belgrade Museum of Natural History
*Museum of Vojvodina
*
National Library of Serbia
The National Library of Serbia () is the national library of Serbia, located in the capital city of Belgrade. It is the biggest library, and oldest institution in Serbia, one that was completely destroyed many times over in the last two centuries ...
*Belgrade's Historical Archives
*Yugoslav Film Archive
=Music festivals
=
*Exit (festival), Exit music festival
*Nišville, Nišville jazz festival
Public figures, artists and celebrities
Numerous public figures, artists and celebrities from Serbia, as well as from other former Yugoslav republics supported the protests,
including:
= Writers
=
*Vladimir Arsenijević
*Sonja Atanasijević
*Vladislav Bajac
*Miljenko Jergović
*Dušan Kovačević
*:sr:Jasminka Petrović, Jasminka Petrović
*Vedrana Rudan
*Milisav Savić
*Ljubomir Simović
*:sr:Dejan Stojiljković, Dejan Stojiljković
*Dragan Velikić
*Marko Vidojković
*:sr:Vladislava Vojnović, Vladislava Vojnović
=Visual artists
=
*Marina Abramović
*Dušan Otašević
*Dušan Petričić
*Jugoslav Vlahović
=Actors
=
*:sr:Anja Alač, Anja Alač
*Ljubomir Bandović
*Mira Banjac
*Petar Benčina
*Miloš Biković
*Predrag Bjelac
*Dragan Bjelogrlić
*:sr:Aleksej Bjelogrlić, Aleksej Bjelogrlić
*Ljiljana Blagojević
*Snežana Bogdanović
*Svetlana Bojković, Svetlana "Ceca" Bojković
*Voja Brajović
*:sr:Ljubomir Bulajić, Ljubomir Bulajić
*Bojan Dimitrijević (actor), Bojan Dimitrijević
*Slaven Došlo
*:sr:Miodrag Dragičević, Miodrag "Miša" Dragičević
*Tamara Dragičević
*Nebojša Dugalić
*Jelena Đokić
*:sr:Elizabeta Đorevska, Elizabeta Đorevska
*Nikola Đuričko
*Nebojša Ilić (actor), Nebojša "Cile" Ilić
*:sr:Marko Janketić, Marko Janketić
*:sr:Milica Janketić, Milica Janketić
*:sr:Nina Janković, Nina Janković
*Goran Jevtić (actor), Goran Jevtić
*:sr:Ivan Jevtović, Ivan Jevtović
*:sr:Anđela Jovanović, Anđela Jovanović
*Dragan Jovanović (actor), Dragan "Gagi" Jovanović
*Branka Katić
*Gordan Kičić
*Nikola Kojo
*Vuk Kostić
*:sr:Andrija Kuzmanović, Andrija Kuzmanović
*:sr:Bojana Maljević, Bojana Maljević
*:sr:Danica Maksimović, Danica Maksimović
*:sr:Anastasia Mandić, Anastasia "Anja" Mandić
*Anita Mančić
*:sr:Iva Manojlović, Iva Manojlović
*:sr:Hadži Nenad Maričić, Hadži Nenad Maričić
*Milan Marić (actor, born 1990), Milan Marić
*:sr:Miona Marković, Miona Marković
*:sr:Pavle Mensur, Pavle Mensur
*Dragan Mićanović
*:sr:Nela Mihailović, Danijela "Nela" Mihailović
*:sr:Ivan Mihailović, Ivan Mihailović
*:sr:Milan Mihailović, Milan "Caci" Mihailović
*:sr:Milica Mihajlović, Milica Mihajlović
*Radoslav Milenković, Radoslav "Rale" Milenković
*Andrija Milošević
*:sr:Isidora Minić, Isidora Minić
*Vjera Mujović
*Nataša Ninković
*Josip Pejaković
*:sr:Tijana Pečenčić, Tijana Pečenčić
*Suzana Petričević
*Gorica Popović
*Branka Pujić
*:sr:Aleksandar Radojičić, Aleksandar Radojičić
*:sr:Milena Radulović, Milena Radulović
*:sr:Hana Selimović, Hana Selimović
*Seka Sablić, Jelisaveta "Seka" Sablić
*:sr:Viktor Savić, Viktor Savić
*Isidora Simijonović
*Tihomir Stanić, Tihomir "Tika" Stanić
*Bojana Stefanović (actress), Bojana Stefanović
*:sr:Anđelka Stević Žugić, Anđelka Stević Žugić
*:sr:Jelena Stupljanin, Jelena Stupljanin
*Rade Šerbedžija
*Miloš Timotijević
*:sr:Srđan Timarov, Srđan Timarov
*:sr:Branislav Tomašević, Branislav Tomašević
*Branislav Trifunović
*Sergej Trifunović
*Vesna Trivalić
*:sr:Milena Vasić, Milena Vasić
*:sr:Marija Vicković, Marija Vicković
*Radovan Vujović
*Bojan Žirović
*Katarina Žutić
=Film and theatre directors
=
*:sr:Radivoje Andrić, Radivoje "Raša" Andrić
*Srđan Dragojević
*Stevan Filipović
*Srđan Golubović
*Rajko Grlić
*Emir Kusturica
*Goran Marković
*:sr:Nikita Milivojević, Nikita Milivojević
*:sr:Kokan Mladenović, Kokan Mladenović
*Vida Ognjenović
*Slobodan Šijan
*Želimir Žilnik
=Music artists
=
Composers
*Vojislav Simić, Vojislav "Bubiša" Simić
*Aleksandra Vrebalov
Rock musicians and bands
*Atheist Rap
*Babe (Serbian band), Babe
*Baby Lasagna
*Bajaga i Instruktori
*Boye (band), Boye former members
*Nikola Čuturilo, Nikola Čuturilo "Čutura"
*Deca Loših Muzičara
*Del Arno Band
*:sr:Dram (muzička grupa), Dram
*Dubioza Kolektiv
*Dža ili Bu
*Električni Orgazam
*Eva Braun (band), Eva Braun
*Generacija 5
*Goblini
*Kanda, Kodža i Nebojša
*Mile Kekin
*Kerber (band), Kerber
*:sr:Koikoi, Koikoi
*Dušan Kojić, Dušan Kojić "Koja"
*Zoran Kostić (musician), Zoran Kostić "Cane"
*:sr:Kralj Čačka, Kralj Čačka
*Laibach
*Kiki Lesendrić, Zoran "Kiki" Lesendrić
*Letu Štuke
*Josipa Lisac
*Love Hunters
*:sr:Ničim izazvan, Ničim Izazvan
*Obojeni Program
*Orthodox Celts, Aleksandar Petrović "Aca Seltik"
*Popečitelji
*Ida Prester
*Rambo Amadeus
*Prljavi Inspektor Blaža i Kljunovi
*Ritam Nereda
*Darko Rundek
*S.A.R.S.
*:sr:Šajzerbiterlemon, Šajzerbiterlemon
*Damir Urban
*Van Gogh (band), Van Gogh
*:sr:Vizelj (muzička grupa), Vizelj
*:sr:Nikola Vranjković, Nikola Vranjković
*YU Grupa
Hip hop and rap artists
*Beogradski Sindikat
*:sr:Iskaz (muzička grupa), Iskaz
*Marčelo
*Elemental (music group), Mirela Priselac "Remi"
*Sajsi MC
*:sr:Smoke Mardeljano, Smoke Mardeljano
*:sr:Mili (reper), Mili
Pop and folk singers and musicians
*Seka Aleksić
*Edita Aradinović
*Nina Badrić
*Filip Baloš
*Danica Crnogorčević
*Sergej Ćetković
*Tijana Dapčević
*Haris Džinović
*:sr:Vesna Đogani, Vesna Đogani
*Albina Grčić
*Emina Jahović
*Elena Kitić
*Ksenija Knežević
*Dragan Kojić Keba, Dragan Kojić "Keba"
*Ana Kokić
*Konstrakta
*Lena Kovačević
*Bilja Krstić, Biljana "Bilja" Krstić
*Iva Lorens
*Nucci (rapper), Nucci
*:sr:Nenad Manojlović (pevač), Nenad Manojlović
*:sr:Aleksandar Milić, Aleksandar Milić "Mili"
*Nikolija
*Luka Nižetić
*Relja Popović
*Aleksandra Radović
*Džejla Ramović
*Rasta (singer), Rasta
*Jelena Rozga
*Sara Jo
*Saška Janković, Sashka Yanx
*:sr:Mirza Selimović, Mirza Selimović
*Severina Vučković, Severina
*:sr:SevdahBABY, SevdahBABY
*Ana Stanić
*Ana Štajdohar
*:sr:Milan Topalović Topalko, Milan Topalović "Topalko"
*Voyage (rapper), Voyage
*Bojana Vunturišević
*Zejna Murkić
*Zorja (singer), Zorja
During the Pesma za Evroviziju '25, February 2025 Pesma za Evroviziju song contest, organized by Radio Television of Serbia to select the Serbia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, Serbian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, a number of participants, including :sr:Ana Ćurčin, Ana Ćurčin, :sr:Oxajo (muzička grupa), Oxajo, :sr:Aleksandar Sedlar, Aleksandar Sedlar and Tam (singer), Tam, expressed their support for the protests by wearing badges with messages of support or displaying red hands.
=Athletes and retired athletes
=
*volleyball player Aleksandar Atanasijević
*swimmer Milorad Čavić
*tennis player Novak Đoković
*volleyball player Vanja Grbić
*swimmer Nađa Higl
*water polo player Danilo Ikodinović
*water polo player Dušan Mandić
*judoka Barbara Matić
*long jumper Ivana Španović
*tennis player Nenad Zimonjić
Basketball players, coaches and staff
*Danilo Anđušić
*Aleksa Avramović
*Miroslav Berić, Miroslav "Mića" Berić
*Bogdan Bogdanović (basketball), Bogdan Bogdanović
*Dejan Bodiroga
*Milica Dabović
*Dejan Davidovac
*Vlade Divac
*Predrag Drobnjak
*Aleksandar Đorđević, Aleksandar "Saša" Đorđević
*Marko Gudurić
*Nikola Jović
*Nikola Kalinić (basketball), Nikola Kalinić
*Tina Krajišnik
*Mathias Lessort
*Vladimir Lučić
*Vanja Marinković
*Jovana Nogić
*Željko Obradović
*Marko Simonović (basketball, born 1986), Marko Simonović
*Vladimir Štimac
*Ratko Varda
*Rade Zagorac
Football players and coaches
*Saša Ilić (footballer, born 1977), Saša Ilić
*Aleksandar Jovanović (footballer, born December 1992), Aleksandar Jovanović
*Svetozar Marković (footballer), Svetozar Marković
*Nemanja Matić
*Savo Milošević
*Bora Milutinović
*Slavoljub Muslin
*Nemanja Vidić
=Television hosts and journalists
=
*:sr:Vesna Dedić, Vesna Dedić
*Ivan Ivanović (host), Ivan Ivanović
*Zoran Kesić
*:sr:Olivera Kovačević, Olivera Kovačević
*:sr:Jovan Memedović, Jovan Memedović
*:sr:Branko Stanković (novinar), Branko Stanković
*Nemanja Šarović
=Religious officials
=
*Irinej Dobrijević
*Grigorije Durić
*Joanikije Mićović
*Ladislav Nemet
*:sr:Mitropolit zahumsko-hercegovački i stonsko-primorski Dimitrije, Dimitrije Rađenović
*:sr:Mitropolit žički Justin, Justin Stefanović
*Maksim Vasiljević
Support from neighboring countries and the Serbian diaspora
Since mid-December protests have been held by students in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro,
Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
,
Slovenia
Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
,
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...
and by Serbian diaspora in numerous cities around the world. Those include Banja Luka, Bijeljina, Podgorica, Sarajevo, Zagreb,
Rijeka,
Split, Croatia, Split,
Osijek,
Pula, Šibenik, Hvar (town), Hvar, Komiža, Skopje, Ljubljana,
Maribor, Paris,
Marseille, Brussels,
Trieste
Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...
, Milan,
Athens, London,
Manchester, Cambridge,
Dublin,
Budapest,
Bucharest, Sofia, Vienna, Graz,
Berlin,
Frankfurt, Hamburg, Dresden, Stuttgart, Aachen, Bonn,
Munich,
Warsaw,
Kraków,
Poznań,
Wrocław,
Zurich,
Bern, Basel, Geneva, Lausanne, The Hague, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, Madrid, Barcelona,
Valencia, Alicante, Las Palmas, Lisbon,
Porto,
Gran Canaria,
Prague, Brno, Bratislava, Stockholm,
Gothenburg,
Oslo, Bergen,Trondheim,
Helsinki,
Reykjavík,
Valletta, Nicosia, Zanzibar City, Zanzibar city, Mexico City, Washington DC,
Boston,
Nantucket,
Chicago,
Miami,
Tampa,
Detroit,
Houston,
Austin, Texas, Austin Los Angeles,
Stanford, California, New York City,
San Francisco, San Diego,
Pittsburgh,
Toronto,
Vancouver,
Calgary,
Montreal,
Ottawa,
Edmonton, Sydney, Perth, Melbourne,
Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast, Auckland, Punta Cana, and Tokyo.
On 2 February 2025, during a protest gathering in front of the Embassy of Serbia, Budapest, Embassy of Serbia in Budapest, an unknown man inside the embassy The finger, gave the middle finger to the protesters from the open window. Ambassador Aleksandra Đurović declined to either apologize or reveal the identity of the man.
International support
Vasilije Čarapić, Montenegrin politician and member of the leading Europe Now! party, publicly expressed support for the students. In his statement, Čarapić emphasized the importance of regional solidarity and the need for accountability in infrastructure projects, urging governments to prioritize public safety to prevent such tragedies.
Former president of Georgia (country), Georgia Salome Zourabichvili who is currently leading the 2024–2025 Georgian protests supported the Serbian protests by calling them "similar" and also called for the stronger support from the EU for protests in Serbia.
European parties Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), European Green Party, Renew Europe and European Left supported the protests.
On 31 January, it was announced that the students of Serbia were a candidate for 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.
Following March 15 protest in Belgrade, a group of 210 academics from Europe, the United States and South America signed a letter of support to Serbian students and academics. The list included Étienne Balibar, Judith Butler, Annie Ernaux, Nancy Fraser, Thomas Piketty and Slavoj Žižek.
Public figures, artists and celebrities
Other public figures and artists which publicly supported the protests include:
=Academics
=
*Yanis Varoufakis
=Actors
=
*Alyssa Milano
*Rob Stewart (actor), Rob Stewart
=Music artists
=
*Azealia Banks
*Garbage (band), Garbage
*Bob Geldof
*Madonna
*Manu Chao
See also
* 2024 Serbian environmental protests
* List of protests in the 21st century
* Serbian National Assembly Brawl
2025 protests in Europe
* 2025 Slovak protests
* 2024–2025 Georgian protests, 2025 Georgian protests
* 2025 Turkish protests
* 2024–2025 Romanian election annulment protests, 2025 Romanian protests
2025 protests globally
* 50501 protests
* 2025 Indonesian protests, 2025 Indonesian student protests
* 2025 Balochistan protests
References
Notes
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:2024-present Serbian anti-corruption protests
2024 in Serbia
2025 in Serbia
2024 protests
2025 protests
21st century in Novi Sad
November 2024 in Serbia
December 2024 in Serbia
Protests in Serbia
Student protests in Serbia
January 2025 in Serbia
February 2025 in Serbia