2024–present Serbian anti-corruption protests
Mass anti-government protests From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In November 2024, a series of mass protests began in Novi Sad following the railway station canopy collapse in the city, which left 16 people dead and one severely injured. As of 9 March 2025[update], the protests have spread to 400 cities and towns in Serbia[82] and are ongoing. The protests are being led by university students who demand accountability for the canopy collapse.[83]
| 2024–present Serbian anti-government protests | |||
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Protestors gather up at Slavija Square in Belgrade on 22 December 2024 | |||
| Date | 3 November 2024 – present (4 months, 2 weeks and 4 days) | ||
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Students' goals:
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| Status | Ongoing | ||
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Blockades of educational facilities initially started on 22 November at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts after students were attacked during a silent tribute to the victims of the 1 November incident. After the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, other faculties and high schools soon followed. In addition to other demonstrations, protesters are holding daily[84] "Serbia, stop" (Serbian: Застани, Србијо, Zastani, Srbijo) traffic blockades, which are conducted from 11:52 am, the time when the canopy collapsed in Novi Sad, to 12:07 pm, in order to symbolically mark the 15 lives lost in the disaster (later increasing to 16 deaths). They would also stay silent for those 15 minutes.
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 of the injured died on 17 November 2024 and another would die later, on 21 March 2025.[85] 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.[86] The station building was constructed in 1964, and was renovated from 2021 to mid-2024 with support from China's Belt and Road Initiative. The official cause of the collapse is still under investigation with government corruption and opaque dealings with Chinese contractors blamed.[87]
Protests
Summarize
Perspective
November
Early protests primarily took the form of quiet vigils for victims of the collapse.[88] However, these protests began to morph into larger and angrier demonstrations, with demonstrators accusing police and local authorities of negligence and corruption. Protesters began demanding a transparent investigation into the collapse, and the release of documents related to the incident. The Associated Press suggested that the collapse has also served as a flash point for expressions of dissatisfaction with the Serbian government as a whole.[88]
The President Aleksandar Vučić, 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.[89][90][91] Faced with accusations and public outrage, Vesić announced his resignation, but stated that "he does not feel responsible".[92]
Some initial demonstrations escalated into acts of vandalism, with the Novi Sad City Hall being a primary target.[93] Red paint was thrown on the city hall entrance and attempts were made to breach the building.[94][95][96] 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.
On 20 November, current Minister of Trade and former Minister of Construction Tomislav Momirović resigned from the ministerial function. In his resignation letter, he pledged his "eternal loyalty to president Vučić".[97]
On 21 November, Vladimir Đukanović, a high-ranking member of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), commented on the protests on his Twitter 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".[98] On the same day, former Minister Vesić was arrested along with 11 unspecified persons,[99] but was let go after six days, and kept his party rank within the SNS.[100]
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.[101] Some members of the group were allegedly high-ranking officials of the ruling party SNS.[101] 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, the Faculty of Philology, the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and the Faculty of Political Sciences in Belgrade, followed shortly after.[102]
One of the November demonstrations in Novi Sad drew 20,000 protesters, making it the largest protest in the city in decades.[103] Demonstrators held weekly 15-minute traffic blockade protests on Fridays at 11:52 am, the time of the collapse.[104] Cars, some of whose occupants are allegedly affiliated with the SNS, struck protesters during these blockades.[105][106]
On 22 November, the students and citizens of Leskovac, 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.[107] 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.[108]
In late November, an audio recording was leaked to the press, allegedly with the voice of Damir Zobenica, 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.[109][110]
December
On 1 December, a silent march was held in Novi Sad to commemorate one month since the collapse.[111] On the same day, President Aleksandar Vučić 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".[112][113]
By early December, Serbian students had begun organizing 24-hour blockades at some school campuses.[106] By mid-December, more than 50 university campuses (including the three biggest universities of Belgrade, Novi Sad and Niš) and multiple secondary schools had suspended classes due to student protests.[105]
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."[114][better source needed]
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 who were protesting.[115] The Orchestra condemned the attack and the driver was arrested.[116]
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.[117][105][118] 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.[119]
On 12 December, in Čačak, students of the Faculty of Technical Sciences and the Agronomic Faculty organized a protest, which began with 15 minutes of silence.[120]
On 13 December, farmers in central Serbia blocked the Ibar Highway with tractors.[105][121] That same day, in Novi Sad, a group of four hooligans tried to ram their Porsche Cayenne vehicle into the protesters and afterwards physically attacked them.[122][123] The attackers were later arrested; it turned out that one of the attackers was an active duty police officer.[124]
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".[125][126] Due to overwhelmingly negative reactions, Vučević later apologized.[citation needed]
On 17 December, high school students in Mladenovac commemorated the victims of the canopy collapse with 15 minutes of silence.[127]
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".[128] The statement caused great controversy,[129] with the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, Brankica Janković, describing it as "utterly unfounded, dangerous, and condemnable".[130] Đukanović defended his statement by claiming it was "metaphorical" and "taken out of context".[131]
On 20 December, the silent protest was extended by one minute to commemorate a victim from the Zagreb school stabbing in Croatia.[132]
In response to police brutality 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 in Belgrade.[133] 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.[134]
On 24 December, in an interview, Vučić stated that "if [he] wished so, [he] could send out the Cobras special forces on the students and they would throw them around in 6–7 seconds".[135][136] This statement was widely ridiculed, and caused the students to make memes, making fun of Vučić and his phrase "throwing around" ("razbacati"). It is worth noting that Cobras are not in charge of crowd dispersals.[137]
On 25 December, people brought 1,000 letters to the office of the public prosecutor Zagorka Dolovac urging her to "start doing her job".[138] 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".[139] Other organizers allegedly received telephone calls inviting them to come to BIA offices "for a friendly chat", but no official summons were handed.[140] In the evening, over 2,000 people protested in Užice, in front of the city hall.[141] The local authority, run by SNS, turned off the street lights in front of the hall, but the protesters brought a portable power generator.[142]
On 27 December, protesters blocked the road in Ivanjica. 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.[143] That same day, 200 employees of RTS signed a petition in support of the protests.[144]
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.[145][146] Croatian Prime minister Andrej Plenković described Vučić's claim as "laughable".[147]
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 oriented" and are "a bit too extreme for [his] taste". He also revealed that his brother is among the members.[75][unreliable source?][148][149] 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,[150] whereas others expressed doubt that Vučić can gather 17,000 loyal activists.[151] A group of citizens signed a petition demanding an official police investigation into the existence of "loyalists".[152]
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.[153]
January
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 on 1 January.[154] The action was repeated on 3 January in Novi Sad at the blockade of the Varadin Bridge and in other cities.[155]
On 3 January, a student protest was held in Aleksandrovac, the largest one in the town's history. The students were joined by other citizens, including some of their professors.[156] 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.[157] This statement caused widespread negative reactions among education workers, who characterized the statement as "arrogant" and "insulting".[158]
The government tabloid Večernje Novosti 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 refugee 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.[159]
On 6 January, high-school students in Požarevac organized a protest, which began with 15 minutes of silence.[160]
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 and Kikinda.[161]
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.[162] A large protest was simultaneously organized in Kragujevac by local high-school students, joined by medical workers.[163][164] During the night, students of technical faculties in Belgrade reported that the unknown persons entered the campus despite the blockade and started threatening them.[165]
On 12 January, around 20,000 students and citizens gathered in front of the Constitutional Court of Serbia 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. The protest began with 15 minutes of silence.[165][166] At the same time, students in Niš organized a protest in front of the Rectorate of the University of Niš. They put up a banner saying "Work stoppage due to protest" on the second floor of the Rectorate building.[167]
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.[168][169]
On 14 January, the largest education workers' union (NSPRS) announced a one-day general strike, 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.[170] On the same day, the workers union of Elektroprivreda Srbije, Serbia's state-owned power company, announced a general strike, as well.[171] In downtown Belgrade, thousands of students marched in a rally, expressing their support for the assaulted law students and the general strike.[172][better source needed]
On 16 January, during a 15-minute blockade in downtown Belgrade, a dark blue Ford Focus vehicle drove through the protesting students, carrying one female student on the car roof for several meters without stopping.[173][174] The injured student was taken to hospital and the driver was arrested and charged with attempted murder.[175][better source needed][176] This incident caused a widespread outrage: later during the day, thousands rallied in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Zrenjanin, Kragujevac and Kraljevo, whereas in Niš, some of the faculty professors joined the student blockade.[177][178][179][180] In response to the protests in Kraljevo, the mayor of Kraljevo, Predrag Terzić, member of the SNS, compared the protestors with World War Two Croatian fascists and published their names without their consent.[181][182]
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.[183][184] This caused an outrage throughout Čačak and next day, thousands gathered in support of the teacher.[185][186]
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.[187] Later during the day, an older man carrying a pocket knife tried to attack the students protesting in front of the Medical Faculty in Novi Sad, but the students took the knife away from him.[188] On the same day, protesters gathered in Vranje, where the names of 15 victims of the canopy collapse were read out loud.[189]
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.[190] 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.[191] 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.[192]
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.[193]
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.[194] Asked about the lawyer strike in a TV interview, Vučić compared lawyers to "a mob".[195] The Bar Association condemned Vučić's statement and announced a protest.[196] 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.[197] Education workers also protested in Pirot.[198] Students, school teachers and citizens protested in Kragujevac, as well.[199] 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.[200]
On 19 January, around 10,000 teachers, professors, students and citizens protested in Čačak in support of the attacked religious teacher. Students carried a cardboard replica of a bulldozer, as a reference to the Bulldozer Revolution. In front of the SNS offices, the protesters stopped and shouted "fascists, fascists", "resignations" and threw eggs at the windows.[201][202] In Kraljevo, mayor Predrag Terzić was booed in public because of his posts against the student protesters.[203] In Belgrade, 20,000 education workers protested and were joined by students. The protest symbolically lasted for 45 minutes.[204] 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.[205] In Subotica, 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.[206]
On 20 January, parents gathered in front of several elementary schools in Novi Sad to express their support for the teachers.[207] In the Belgrade municipality of Surčin, 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.[208] In Zrenjanin, school inspectors were ordered by the Ministry of Education to enter the elementary schools which declared strike, but they refused.[209] In some schools in Belgrade and Novi Sad, parents gathered and chased out the school inspectors.[210][211] Students protested in Novi Pazar. The silence was extended to 16 minutes, in protest against the lenient sentence for the death of student Ernad Bakan in a traffic accident.[212][213] Employees of Elektroprivreda Srbije also declared a strike and announced they will be joining the protests.[214]
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".[215] Many prominent SNS members, including the mayor of Kraljevo, also shared the picture of the flipped middle finger on their social media profiles.[216] The middle finger was also drawn overnight in several Belgrade schoolyards, but pupils drew flowers over them.[217] It is worth noting that term "colour revolution", although common in countries of the former Soviet Union, 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 later.[218] On the same day, high-school students and citizens protested in Obrenovac.[219]
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. 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.[220][better source needed][221][222]
By 22 January, dozens of small, medium and enterprise companies throughout Serbia announced they will join a general strike on 24 January. Some online retail websites were temporarily offline between 11:52 am and 12:07 am. Employees of technology companies headquartered in New Belgrade joined the students in road blockades and protests. In Čačak, medical workers joined the protest.[223] That same day, two MPs from the SNS officially resigned, without providing an explanation.[224]
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".[225][226][better source needed] On that same day, in an open letter, 17 judges publicly expressed their support for students' demands.[227] Over a hundred different companies publicly stated they will support the general strike and will not operate on 24 January.[228]
On 24 January, large protests were held in Apatin, Belgrade, Gornji Milanovac, Jagodina, Lazarevac, Leskovac, Kragujevac, Niš, Novi Sad, Novi Pazar, Petrovac na Mlavi, Stara Pazova, and Vlasotince.[229][230][231] In Lazarevac, the students were joined by miners from the RB Kolubara 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.[232] Medical workers and workers in social care institutions either left their workplaces while the protesters were passing by or made statements of support.[233] In Novi Sad, opposition parties blocked the highway with motor vehicles for a brief period of time.[234]
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, local residents attempted to physically stop a bus driving SNS supporters to Jagodina.[235][236] 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, nor any other friendly nation". He also announced the formation of a new political movement.[237][238][239]
During the protests in New Belgrade, a black Citroën 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.[240][241] Students announced that they will organize a day-long blockade of the Autokomanda intersection in downtown Belgrade on 27 January.[242] The Ministry of Education called on schools to reduce the January salaries for those education workers who are on strike.[243][244]
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.[245][246] 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, the farmers were blocked by a unit of Gendarmery 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.[247][248] Citizens also protested in Mladenovac,[249] Pirot,[250] Prijepolje[251] Smederevo,[252] Svrljig,[253] Vršac[254] and Zrenjanin.[255]
On the morning of 26 January, farmers from Banatsko Novo Selo 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.[256] The farmers reached the faculty in the afternoon.[257][better source needed]
On 26 January, bikers organized a protest in Kragujevac, commemorating the victims with 15 minutes of silence.[258] Citizens also protested in Niš,[259] Subotica,[260] Varvarin[261] and Zaječar.[262]
On the morning of 27 January, students, bikers and farmers on tractors blocked the Autokomanda intersection in downtown Belgrade. The blockade began with 15 minutes of silence and was scheduled to last for 24 hours.[263][264] Tens of thousands attended the blockade; students played volleyball and boardgames, and made barbecue. Early the next day, the students cleaned up the intersection.[265][266] At the same time, citizens protested in Prokuplje and Kuršumlija.[267] 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.[268]
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.[269] One female student was seriously injured and left with a broken jaw.[270][271][272] This caused an outrage on social media and students announced a new protest in Novi Sad. Around 10 am, students gathered and drew graffiti "murderers" on the windows of SNS offices in Novi Sad.[273] 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.[274] Four attackers were arrested, all of them with previous criminal record.[275] Their names were soon doxxed 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.[276][277] 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.[278]
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.[279] Another group of farmers blocked the Ibar Highway near Kraljevo with tractors, for the next 24 hours.[280] In the evening hours, in Novi Sad, Belgrade, Čačak, Kragujevac, Niš and Pirot, thousands gathered in a march of solidarity with the attacked students.[281] In Niš, students drew graffiti "murderers" on the local SNS offices and announced a blockade of the central ringroad.[282]
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.[283] Among those pardoned was the dean of the Faculty of Philology in Niš, who was never informed of any legal proceeding against her.[284]
On 29 January, thousands of citizens protested in Gornji Milanovac and hundreds gathered in Lapovo.[285] In Ivanjica, 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.[286][better source needed] Belgrade students announced that they will walk by foot from Belgrade to Novi Sad to join the blockade on 1 February.[287] High school pupils from the Belgrade municipality of Zemun announced a 24-hour blockade of the Zemun Gymnasium.[288]
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.[289]
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.[290] Along the route, the students were greeted by citizens and by employees of Telekom Srbija, the state-owned telecommunications company.[291] Citizens of Stara Pazova, a town along their route, welcomed the students with fireworks and over 150 kilograms of free food.[292][293] Before students reached Inđija, the town's mayor, SNS member Marko Gašić, locked the entrance to the hall where the students were supposed to sleep over.[294] 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.[295] In the morning, they proceeded to Novi Sad.[296]
Citizens protested in Grdelica,[297] Kostolac[298] and in Pećinci, despite rumors circulating that they might lose their jobs.[299] On the same day, the European Commission officially demanded information from the prosecutors' offices in Belgrade and Novi Sad in regards to the attacks on students throughout 2024 and 2025.[300]
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, commemorating the victims with 15 minutes of silence, when a black Volkswagen Golf Mk5 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.[301][302]
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.[303][304] 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.[305][306][307]
In Belgrade, employees of the public transit company GSP Belgrade announced a protest for 5 February, demanding that the mayor, Aleksandar Šapić, "be held criminally liable for the damage caused to GSP, together with his assistant Miroslav Čučković".[308][309]
February
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.[310] 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.[311][312] After the results of the plenum in which the citizens on the bridge voted, it was extended for three more hours in order to clean up the area.[313]
In Čačak, teachers, professors and their students blocked the two bridges over the West Morava for an hour in support of the students in Novi Sad.[314] Farmers have arranged for their tractors to be parked in front of the bridges, in order to protect the protesters.[315] Citizens also protested in Kladovo, Krupanj, Kuršumlija, Prijepolje, Prokuplje and Žitorađa.[316][317] Judges of the Basic and Higher Courts in Niš publicly supported the students' demands.[318] In its prime-time news program, RTS briefly reported about the Novi Sad protest. This was condemned as "scandalous" and "biased" by the SNS.[319][320]
On 2 February, the Bar Association of Serbia announced a 30-day lawyers' strike.[321] In Novi Sad, 671 taxi vehicles from Belgrade have organized a lift back to Belgrade for students, completely free of charge.[322][323] On the same day, protests were organized in Bajina Bašta, Jagodina, Kosjerić, Šabac, Užice, Vlasotince and Vršac.[324][325] In Šabac, students and teachers blocked the bridge over the Sava river for 225 minutes, 15 minutes for each of the 15 victims.[326] In Užice, residents blocked the motorway by standing on the bridge above the Đetinja river despite freezing weather.[327]
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.[328] 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.[329] Students from several Belgrade high schools also protested in front of their respective schools.[330] Artists have protested in front of the Ministry of Culture,[331] while professors of the Aviation Academy and parents whose children attend the academy blocked the intersection in front of the central government building.[332]
On 4 February, students, teachers, farmers and bikers organized a large protest in Kragujevac.[333] The protesters carried boxes with ideas on city improvement to the city hall.[334] Protesters also gathered in Arandjelovac, for the third time in one week, in support of the kindergarten teachers on strike.[335] On the same day, the Police Union of Serbia (PSS) sent a letter to the Minister of the Interior, Ivica Dačić, 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.[336] Nearly 500 policemen have signed a petition supporting the students' demands.[337]
On 5 February, five simultaneous protests were held in Belgrade. Pensioners protested at Republic Square in support of the students.[338] medical workers protested in front of the Zemun hospital,[339] students gathered in front of the Ministry of Education,[339] another group of students blocked the central street in Banovo Brdo,[340] and employees of the public transit company GSP protested in front of the company headquarters in Dorćol.[341] Students announced a large protest to be held on 15 February in Kragujevac, on the anniversary of the Sretenje Constitution.[342] Medical and social workers union "Nezavisnost", with around 2,500 members in Niš, officially supported the students and their demands.[343] Professors and teachers protested in Leskovac.[344] Citizens also protested in Sombor, where students were joined by medical workers and local librarians.[345]
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.[346]
Slovenian newspapers Večer and Delo published speculations that Goran Vesić and Belgrade mayor Aleksandar Šapić had both left Serbia and were currently residing in privately owned mansions in Trieste, Italy.[347][348]
On 6 February, the Government of Serbia 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.[349] On the same day, in the Novi Sad neighborhood of Telep, 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.[350] 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.[351] In Topola, farmers blocked the motorway with tractors.[352] Students also protested in Crna Trava.[353]
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.[354]
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.[355]
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.[356] 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.[357] The European Parliament's rapporteur for Serbia, Tonino Picula, 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.[358]
On 7 February, lawyers organized a protest in front of RTS.[359] There, the lawyers demanded that their voices be heard and called upon policemen and members of the Serbian Armed Forces to join a general strike.[360] The informal community of elementary school teachers in New Belgrade - PULS announced a large protest gathering and walk through New Belgrade on 8 February.[361] Theatrical actors from the theaters in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Sombor and Zrenjanin started a seven-day strike.[362] In Belgrade, protesters blocked the Pupin Bridge connecting Zemun with Borča.[363] Citizens also protested in Niš.[364] During the protest, an unknown female person approached the dean of the Niš Faculty of Philosophy, threatened her and physically attacked her.[365] In Prijepolje, high school teachers protested, despite receiving verbal threats.[366] In Subotica, 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,[367] an SNS member, who previously compared the protesters with World War Two Croatian fascists and accused them of "destroying Serbia".[368]
In Bogatić, SNS-led local authorities organized a public hearing on the municipal spatial plan, which also includes lithium 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.[369][370][371] Farmers and protesters organized a plenary session, during which they expressed support for the students' demands.[372] 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.[373][374]
On 8 February, teachers and professors from 18 New Belgrade elementary schools, joined by parents whose children attend those schools, blocked the central turnaround in New Belgrade.[375] In Niš, students, professors and citizens organized a 15 km-long protest walk to Merošina.[376] 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.[377] 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, both SNS members, were scheduled to speak. Protesters gathered in front of the center, waited for Brnabić and Mali to come out and booed them; during the gathering, Brnabić called the protesters "cowards", but once outside, she smiled and waved at them.[378][379]
On 9 February, students of the Agronomic Faculty, together with farmers on tractors, blocked the Gazela Bridge in Belgrade to commemorate 100 days since the canopy collapse.[380] In Niš, students blocked the highway paytoll.[381] Protesters also blocked the local intersections in Ruma[382] and Zrenjanin.[383] 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.[384] When students reached the Belgrade municipality of Voždovac, 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.[385][386] 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."[387]
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 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.[388]
On 11 February, in temperatures of minus six degrees Celsius, 180 students from Niš set off on foot to Kragujevac, where the large protest is scheduled for 15 February.[389] Around 6 pm they arrived in Aleksinac, 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.[390] Students who walked from Novi Sad and Belgrade, arrived in Sopot 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.[391] On the same day, Members of the European Parliament (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".[392]
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.[393] 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.[394] Simultaneously, Milorad Grčić, former acting director of Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS), President of the Belgrade municipality of Obrenovac 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.[395] The government announced a large pro-SNS gathering to be held in Sremska Mitrovica, 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.[396][397]
On 13 February, students from Kraljevo, together with their colleagues from Novi Pazar, 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 with their colleagues from Užice, Čačak and Gornji Milanovac, from where they continued together to Kragujevac.[398][399] 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.[400] Employees of Radio Belgrade also organized a protest.[401] The Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra 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.[402]
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.[403] 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.[404]
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.[405] On the same day, during his official visit to Republika Srpska, president Vučić compared the protesters in Serbia with "sediment and filth which occasionally rises to the surface".[406] The Serbian subsidiary of Assicurazioni Generali 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.[407]
On 15 February, the anniversary of the 1835 declaration of the Sretenje Constitution, 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.[408] Protesters also gathered at Trg Republike in Belgrade in support of the gathering in Kragujevac.[409] President Vučić held a counter-rally that same day in Sremska Mitrovica, 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.[410] The executive board of the United Branch Unions "Nezavisnost" ("Independence") stated that public sector employees were pressured to attend the pro-government rally,[411] at which some 20,000 people were present.[412] The next day, around 300 taxi drivers drove to Kragujevac to transport the students back home, where they were greeted warmly.[413] An additional protest was announced for 1 March in Niš.[414]
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.[415][416] The farmers expressed their support for the student protesters.[417]
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.[418] 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.[419]
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.[420]
On 20 February, a protest was held at Vukov Spomenik in Belgrade, where 15 minutes of silence was observed.[421] 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,"[422] was attended by nearly 14,000 protesters.[423]
On 21 February, students, educators, parents, and citizens in Prijepolje 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,[424] 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.[425] Additional protests were held that day in Čačak, Ivanjica, and Ljig. 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, who had left the city the day before with the goal of walking to Vršac, were greeted warmly in the villages of Velika Greda and later in Plandište, where they stayed the night.[426]
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.[427] 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 at Vučević.[428] In the village of Cvetke, near Kraljevo, the gathered villagers threw eggs at the visiting mayor of Kraljevo, Predrag Terzić.[429][430]
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.[431]
On 27 February, pupils of the Fifth Belgrade Gymnasium have blocked their school, protesting the appointment of the new, SNS-affiliated principal.[432] 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."[433]
On 28 February, seven archbishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church 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."[434]
March
On 1 March, another large protest was held in Niš.[435] Tens of thousands of protesters gathered, marking four months since the canopy collapse with 15 minutes of silence.[436][437] In reference to the Edict of Milan issued by the Niš-born Roman Emperor Constantine I, the students drafted and presented the "Student Edict", which contains provisions on freedom, state, justice, youth, dignity, knowledge, solidarity and the future.[438] After the protest, columns of taxi drivers from various cities transported the students back home, free of charge.[439] Citizens also protested in Inđija, where a man threatened the protesters with a knife.[440] 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".[441][442]
On 2 March, students and high school pupils from Gornji Milanovac blocked the Ibar Highway. The blockade lasted four hours, from 11 am to 4 pm.[443] In Belgrade, citizens blocked the Blue Bridge, which connects the Konjarnik and Medaković neighborhoods, to express support for students' demands.[444] In Krupanj, residents protested the arrival of Miloš Vučević, who was attending an SNS party debate in that town.[445] 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, where a large protest of education workers will take place.[446]
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.[447][448] 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.[449]
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.[450] The Novi Sad Police Association "Dr Rudolf Arčibald Rajs" wrote an open letter to the Minister of Interior Ivica Dačić, 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".[451] Several employees of public utility companies in Novi Sad spoke up to media about allegedly losing their jobs after they openly supported the protests.[452]
On 4 March, Prime Minister Miloš Vučević said that professors and teachers who protested will not receive the first part of their February salary.[453] That same day, a brawl erupted in the National Assembly, during which opposition MPs threw smoke bombs during a session.[454][455]
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).[456][457] 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."[458] An informal group of IT experts invited citizens to join the "Solidarity for Education" network and donate to help educators.[459]
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.[460]
Employees of the National Library of Serbia announced a general strike starting 6 March.[461] 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 helicopter, in which seven people died, including a sick infant transported for treatment.[462]
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 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.[463] 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.[464]
On 7 March, workers of the RB Kolubara mines protested in front of their office building in Lazarevac.[465] In Kosjerić, students blocked the local bridge.[466] Thousands of citizens protested in Kragujevac, Kruševac, Niš and Novi Sad, supporting the underpaid education workers and calling for a general strike.[467][468][469][470] 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.[471] 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.[472][473][474]
On 8 March, farmers in Bogatić blocked a street with tractors and clashed with the Žandarmerija unit, which tried to remove them.[475] Soon after, they were allowed to stay, and even to enter the local Agricultural Fair with their tractors.[476] During his official visit to Kovačica, president Vučić was booed 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?".[477]
In Smederevo, 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.[478] In Belgrade, thousands of students congregated to Republic Square, followed by farmers on tractors.[479]
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".[480] "The introduction of a state of emergency 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.[481]
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.[482] Hundreds of students from Čačak, Niš and Subotica began their march on foot towards Belgrade, with the goal of reaching it prior to the great protest scheduled for 15 March.[483][484]
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,"[485] though footage of the incident shows the policeman being struck by a uniformed officer.[486] 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.[487] 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.[488]
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.[489] 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's political opponents and has been accused of involvement in war crimes during the Kosovo war. 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.[490] A JSO veteran was seen attacking an onlooker with a stick in video footage taken at the park.[491]
On 12 March, professors met at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Belgrade, 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.[492] 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.[493]
In solidarity with the students' demands and their protests across Serbia, students and high school students from Valjevo 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 in the evening, where they were welcomed by locals and provided accommodation.[494] Students who set off from Kragujevac 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.[495]
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.[496] That same day, a group of about a hundred people, most of whom belonged to the Movement of Socialists, 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."[497] 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.[498] At the same time, the National Assembly was closed until 17 March due to "safety reasons".[499] In the morning of the same day, all trains were cancelled due to a "bomb threat".[500] The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), led by Laura Codruța Kövesi, announced that it is investigating potential misuse of EU IPA funds in regards to the Novi Sad train station.[501] 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.[502] UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence urged the authorities to allow the protest to take place without unwarranted interference.[503]
On 15 March, the protest, called "15th for 15" (Serbian: 15. за 15, 15. za 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.[504] 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.[505] The MUP later denied the allegations[506] in spite of video footage of the incident,[507] as did president Vučić, who called for the prosecution of those "lying" and "spreading disinformation".[508] The Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade did not launch an investigation into use of a sonic weapon, instead issuing a statement claiming no indications of its use, citing reports from the Ministries of Defence and Health.[509] 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,"[510] and Božo Prelević, the former MUP minister, estimated there were at least half a million protesters.[511]
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.[512][513]
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.[514][515] On the same day, citizens of Obrenovac 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.[516] Six protesters were arrested after the incident.[517]
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."[518][519]
On 19 March, several dozen citizens of Sremska Mitrovica 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.[520][521] Members of the European Parliament Vladimir Prebilič and Gordan Bosanac from the Greens group addressed a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressing deep concern regarding her scheduled meeting with President Vučić next week.[522]
That same day, the newspaper Danas released an interview with an anonymous gendarme present at the "15. za 15" protest in Belgrade. The officer stated that he had guarded a vehicle equipped with an LRAD and, while that particular unit "in the end was not used," the officer confirmed that additional sound cannons were stationed around the city, saying that officers were "told that a device was placed in or next to the presidency" and that the tractors parked around Pionirski Park had been placed there "to deflect the impact of the cannon if the cannon were to be used," as to avoid hitting the "Students 2.0."[523] In addition, photographs were released that day by Marinika Tepić showing the aforementioned vehicle armed with an LRAD parked beside the National Assembly.[524] Prior to that point, government officials had stated that no such weapons were deployed at the protest, with president Vučić commenting on 18 March: "I'm telling you now - if our forces used a sonic cannon, Vortex, whatever it's called... well, then I'm not the president anymore. Pathetic liars."[525][526]
Symbols and slogans
A common protester slogan has been "corruption kills".[103] 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.[88][528] 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 Zagorka Dolovac, 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 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, among others.[529] 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.[530] Ferrari flags and paraphernalia, once a prominent symbol of opposition to the Milošević regime, have also made a return.[531] 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.[532]
Some banners also include the word "ćaci" ("ћаци"), a reference to an anti-protest graffiti near a gymnasium that misspelled the word "đaci" ("ђаци", Serbian for "pupils"); 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 "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.[533]
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 (Auto)komandom" ("Under our (Auto)command"), "Munze želi konza" (A 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
Summarize
Perspective
Criticism of protests
Russian President Vladimir Putin voiced support for the Serbian authorities and rejected what he called a "colour revolution".[534]
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."[535]
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."[65]
Neutral stance
The European Commission and the Council of the European Union have neither supported nor condemned the protests.[536][537] On 28 January 2025, a group of Serbian public figures sent a letter to EU officials, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, urging them to become more actively involved in supporting a "free, democratic and European Serbia".[67][a]
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.[538] 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,[539] resulting in EU flags and other pro-European symbols being noticeably absent from rallies.[540]
Domestic support
Protests were publicly supported by over 5,000 university professors, cooperators and researchers.[541]
Political organizations
Political organizations which supported the protests include:
Professional associations and cultural institutions
A number of associations and cultural institutions supported the protests, including:
Professional associations
- Serbian Medical Society[544]
- Dental Chamber of Serbia[545]
- Bar Association of Serbia[321]
- Association of Writers of Serbia[546]
- PEN Center Serbia[547]
- Association of Drama Artists of Serbia[548]
- Association of Screenwriters of Serbia[549]
- Association of Composers of Serbia[550]
- Association of Musical Artists of Serbia[551]
- Association of Jazz, Pop and Rock Musicians of Serbia[552]
- Association of Literature Translators of Serbia[553]
- ICOM Serbia[554]
Theatres and orchestras
- National Theatre in Belgrade[555]
- Ballet Ensemble of National Theatre[555]
- Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra[551]
- Belgrade Drama Theatre[555]
- Yugoslav Drama Theatre[555]
- Terazije Theatre[555]
- Atelje 212[555]
- Zvezdara Theatre[556]
- Teatar na brdu[555]
- Boško Buha Theatre[555]
- Duško Radović Theatre[555]
- Serbian National Theatre in Novi Sad[555]
- Orchestra of Serbian National Theatre's Opera[555]
- Novi Sad Theatre[557]
- Novi Sad Youth Theatre[557]
- National Theatre in Niš[555]
- Niš Puppet Theatre[558]
- Princely Serbian Theatre[547]
- Kragujevac Children's and Youth's Theatre[555]
- National Theatre of Sombor[555]
- National Theatre of Zrenjanin[555]
- Lazarevac Puls Theatre[555]
Museums, libraries and archives
- Ethnographic Museum of Serbia[559]
- Historical Museum of Serbia[559]
- Museum of Yugoslavia[559]
- Belgrade Museum of Contemporary Art[559]
- Belgrade Museum of Applied Arts[559]
- Belgrade Museum of Natural History[559]
- Museum of Vojvodina[560]
- National Library of Serbia[561]
- Belgrade's Historical Archives[559]
- Yugoslav Film Archive[559]
Music festivals
Artists and celebrities
Numerous artists and celebrities from Serbia, as well as from other former Yugoslav republics supported the protests,[564][565][566][567] including:
Writers
Visual artists
Actors
- Anja Alač[565]
- Ljubomir Bandović[583]
- Mira Banjac[584]
- Petar Benčina[565]
- Miloš Biković[585]
- Predrag Bjelac[565]
- Dragan Bjelogrlić[586]
- Aleksej Bjelogrlić[565]
- Ljiljana Blagojević[587]
- Snežana Bogdanović[588]
- Svetlana "Ceca" Bojković[589]
- Voja Brajović[590]
- Ljubomir Bulajić[591]
- Bojan Dimitrijević[565]
- Slaven Došlo[565]
- Miodrag "Miša" Dragičević[592]
- Tamara Dragičević[565]
- Nebojša Dugalić[593]
- Jelena Đokić[594]
- Elizabeta Đorevska[595]
- Nikola Đuričko[596]
- Nebojša "Cile" Ilić[565]
- Marko Janketić[565]
- Milica Janketić[565]
- Nina Janković[565]
- Goran Jevtić[565]
- Ivan Jevtović[597]
- Anđela Jovanović[565]
- Dragan "Gagi" Jovanović[598]
- Branka Katić[599]
- Gordan Kičić[565]
- Nikola Kojo[600]
- Vuk Kostić[601]
- Andrija Kuzmanović[602]
- Bojana Maljević[603]
- Danica Maksimović[604]
- Anastasia "Anja" Mandić[565]
- Anita Mančić[605]
- Iva Manojlović[606]
- Hadži Nenad Maričić[607]
- Milan Marić[565]
- Miona Marković[565]
- Pavle Mensur[565]
- Dragan Mićanović[608]
- Danijela "Nela" Mihailović[591]
- Ivan Mihailović[565]
- Milan "Caci" Mihailović[565]
- Milica Mihajlović[566]
- Radoslav "Rale" Milenković[609]
- Andrija Milošević[610]
- Isidora Minić[611]
- Vjera Mujović[612]
- Nataša Ninković[613]
- Tijana Pečenčić[565]
- Suzana Petričević[614]
- Gorica Popović[615]
- Branka Pujić[616]
- Aleksandar Radojičić[617]
- Milena Radulović[565]
- Hana Selimović[565]
- Jelisaveta "Seka" Sablić[618]
- Viktor Savić[619]
- Isidora Simijonović[620]
- Tihomir "Tika" Stanić[615]
- Bojana Stefanović[621]
- Anđelka Stević Žugić[622]
- Jelena Stupljanin[565]
- Rade Šerbedžija[623]
- Miloš Timotijević[565]
- Srđan Timarov[565]
- Branislav Tomašević[624]
- Branislav Trifunović[625]
- Sergej Trifunović[566]
- Vesna Trivalić[566]
- Milena Vasić[565]
- Marija Vicković[626]
- Radovan Vujović[565]
- Bojan Žirović[565]
- Katarina Žutić[565]
Film and theatre directors
Music artists
Composers
Rock musicians and bands
- Atheist Rap[637]
- Babe[638]
- Baby Lasagna[639]
- Bajaga i Instruktori[640]
- Boye former members[641]
- Nikola Čuturilo "Čutura"[642]
- Del Arno Band[643]
- Dram[644]
- Dubioza Kolektiv[645]
- Dža ili Bu[646]
- Električni Orgazam[638]
- Eva Braun[647]
- Generacija 5[648]
- Goblini[649]
- Kanda, Kodža i Nebojša[638]
- Mile Kekin[650]
- Kerber[651]
- Koikoi[566]
- Dušan Kojić "Koja"[652]
- Zoran Kostić "Cane"[653]
- Laibach[654]
- Zoran "Kiki" Lesendrić[655]
- Josipa Lisac[656]
- Love Hunters[657]
- Ničim Izazvan[658]
- Obojeni Program[659]
- Aleksandar Petrović "Aca Seltik"[660]
- Popečitelji[661]
- Ida Prester[662]
- Rambo Amadeus[663]
- Prljavi Inspektor Blaža i Kljunovi[664]
- Ritam Nereda[665]
- Darko Rundek[666]
- S.A.R.S.[667]
- Šajzerbiterlemon[566]
- Damir Urban[668]
- Van Gogh[669]
- Vizelj[566]
- Nikola Vranjković[641]
- YU Grupa[670]
Hip hop and rap artists
Pop and folk singers and musicians
- Seka Aleksić[674]
- Edita Aradinović[564]
- Nina Badrić[675]
- Filip Baloš[676]
- Danica Crnogorčević[677]
- Sergej Ćetković[564]
- Tijana Dapčević[678]
- Haris Džinović[679]
- Vesna Đogani[680]
- Albina Grčić[656]
- Emina Jahović[681]
- Elena Kitić[682]
- Ksenia Knežević[565]
- Dragan Kojić "Keba"[683]
- Ana Kokić[564]
- Konstrakta[684]
- Lena Kovačević[564]
- Iva Lorens[676]
- Nucci[685]
- Nenad Manojlović[686]
- Aleksandar Milić "Mili"[687]
- Nikolija[688]
- Luka Nižetić[656]
- Relja Popović[688]
- Aleksandra Radović[564]
- Džejla Ramović[689]
- Rasta[690]
- Jelena Rozga[656]
- Sara Jo[564]
- Sashka Yanx[691]
- Mirza Selimović[692]
- Severina[693]
- SevdahBABY[694]
- Ana Stanić[695]
- Ana Štajdohar[696]
- Milan Topalović "Topalko"[697]
- Voyage[564]
- Bojana Vunturišević[698]
- Zejna Murkić[699]
- Zorja[564]
During the February 2025 Pesma za Evroviziju song contest, organized by Radio Television of Serbia to select the Serbian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, a number of participants, including Ana Ćurčin, Oxajo, Aleksandar Sedlar and Tam, expressed their support for the protests by wearing badges with messages of support or displaying red hands.[700]
Athletes and retired athletes
- volleyball player Aleksandar Atanasijević[701]
- swimmer Milorad Čavić[702]
- tennis player Novak Đoković[703][704]
- volleyball player Vanja Grbić[705]
- swimmer Nađa Higl[706]
- water polo player Danilo Ikodinović[707]
- water polo player Dušan Mandić[708]
- judoka Barbara Matić[656]
- long jumper Ivana Španović[709]
- tennis player Nenad Zimonjić[565]
Basketball players, coaches and staff
- Danilo Anđušić[710]
- Aleksa Avramović[711]
- Miroslav "Mića" Berić[712]
- Bogdan Bogdanović[713]
- Dejan Bodiroga[714]
- Milica Dabović[715]
- Dejan Davidovac[716]
- Vlade Divac[717]
- Predrag Drobnjak[712]
- Aleksandar "Saša" Đorđević[718]
- Marko Gudurić[711]
- Nikola Jović[719]
- Nikola Kalinić[720]
- Tina Krajišnik[721]
- Mathias Lessort[722]
- Vladimir Lučić[723]
- Vanja Marinković[724]
- Jovana Nogić[725]
- Željko Obradović[726]
- Marko Simonović[727]
- Vladimir Štimac[728]
- Ratko Varda[729]
- Rade Zagorac[730]
Football players and coaches
Television hosts and journalists
Religious officials
Support from neighboring countries and the Serbian diaspora
Since mid-December protests have been held by students in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, North Macedonia and by Serbian diaspora in numerous cities around the world. Those include Banja Luka,[750] Bijeljina,[751] Podgorica,[752] Sarajevo,[753] Zagreb,[754] Rijeka,[754] Split,[755] Osijek,[755] Pula,[756] Šibenik,[757] Hvar,[758] Komiža,[759] Skopje,[760] Ljubljana,[761] Maribor,[762] Paris,[763] Marseille,[764] Brussels,[765] Trieste,[766] Milan,[765] Athens,[767] London,[765] Manchester,[768] Cambridge,[769]Dublin,[761] Budapest,[761] Bucharest, [770] Sofia,[771] Vienna,[772] Graz,[769] Berlin,[763] Frankfurt,[773] Hamburg,[774] Dresden,[775] Stuttgart,[776] Aachen,[777] Bonn,[761] Munich,[769] Warsaw,[778] Kraków,[778] Poznań,[778] Wrocław,[778] Zurich,[763] Bern,[779] Basel,[780] Geneva,[781] Lausanne,[782] The Hague,[783] Amsterdam,[784] Rotterdam, Luxembourg,[785] Madrid,[786] Barcelona,[765] Valencia,[787] Alicante,[788] Las Palmas,[789] Lisbon,[790] Porto,[790] Gran Canaria,[769] Prague,[791] Bratislava,[792] Stockholm,[763] Gothenburg,[793] Oslo,[794] Bergen,[795]Trondheim,[793] Helsinki,[793] Reykjavík,[796] Valletta,[797][798] Nicosia,[799] Zanzibar city,[800] Mexico City,[801] Washington DC,[802][803] Boston,[802] Nantucket,[803] Chicago,[803] Miami,[803] Tampa,[803] Detroit,[804] Houston,[803] Austin[805] Los Angeles,[803] Stanford, California,[806] New York City,[807][765] San Francisco,[808] San Diego,[796] Pittsburgh,[804] Toronto,[809][803] Vancouver,[802][803] Calgary,[802] Montreal,[796] Ottawa,[796] Edmonton,[810] Sydney,[811] Perth,[812] Melbourne,[769] Gold Coast,[813] Auckland,[814] Punta Cana,[815] and Tokyo.[816]
On 2 February 2025, during a protest gathering in front of the Embassy of Serbia in Budapest, an unknown man inside the embassy 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.[817]
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.[818]
Former president of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili who is currently leading the 2024–2025 Georgian protests supported the Serbian protests by calling them "similar"[819] and also called for the stronger support from the EU for protests in Serbia.[820]
European parties Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), European Green Party, Renew Europe and European Left supported the protests.[821][822][823] On 31 January, it was announced that the students of Serbia were a candidate for 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.[824]
On 1 February, Madonna supported the students on Instagram.[825][826] On 3 February, the American band Garbage also supported the protests on Instagram.[827][828][829] On 4 February, Greek economist and politician Yanis Varoufakis expressed support for the students on X.[830] On 8 February, American actress Alyssa Milano supported the protests on Instagram.[831] On 16 March, Spanish musician Manu Chao supported the protests on X.[832]
Czech Republic
In solidarity, the Serbian community in Czechia has organized regular gatherings, particularly in Prague and Brno, aligning with global efforts to raise awareness about the situation in Serbia.[833]
See also
References
External links
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