The current wave of student protests across Serbia originated with a tragic incident on November 1, 2024, when a concrete canopy collapsed at a railway station in Novi Sad, resulting in 15 fatalities. This disaster sparked widespread public outrage, with many attributing the collapse to government corruption, negligence, and substandard construction practices. In response, university students initiated protests, demanding accountability and leading to the suspension of classes at multiple universities.

What began as protests over this specific tragedy has now evolved into a nationwide movement spanning Serbia’s entire educational system, revealing deeper tensions over proposed reforms that critics say would transform universities into “investment free zones.” Writing in Mašina on December 20, Stefan Aleksić explains that the planned legislative changes would effectively create “an educational free trade zone,” following a pattern similar to earlier industrial privatization. “After we dismantled developed industry to allow dirty capital to open sweatshops and wind cables here, we will now dismantle existing educational institutions,” Aleksić writes.

Unprecedented Public Support

The scale of support appears remarkable. According to a poll conducted by Mašina between December 16-17, M.M. reports that 97% of 4,080 respondents support the student blockades, choosing the option “yes, let them continue.” Thousands of supportive messages have poured in, including one that reads: “My children are small, but I will tell them what you were like and what they should be like. Bravo!”

Academic Community Rallies Behind Protests

Over one hundred doctoral students at the University of Belgrade have issued a statement connecting current events to the university’s historic mission. A.G.A. reports their emphasis that “The University of Belgrade, the oldest and most prestigious higher education institution in Serbia, has upheld knowledge, critical thinking, and academic integrity as supreme values since its founding.”

The doctoral candidates explicitly connect current protests to broader academic principles, noting that “critical thinking… implies not only a critical examination of scientific knowledge and achievements but also a critical review of the society in which we act and to which we belong.”

Growing Movement

A.G.A. reports that all faculties in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš and Kragujevac are currently under blockade. The movement has spread beyond traditional universities to vocational schools, with students at the Higher School of Electrical Engineering and Computing (VIŠER) stating: “VIŠER faces the same blockade as the University of Belgrade. We believe these events haven’t received media attention to the same extent as academic university students, although vocational students don’t lack in numbers or dedication.”

Student Activities During Blockades

Students are using their expertise to analyze government policies. A.G.A. reports that mathematics students at Novi Sad’s Faculty of Natural Sciences examined the government’s “favorable” youth housing loans, revealing that “after purchasing an apartment worth 75,000 EUR, young people will pay off more than two such apartments over 40 years.”

Education Workers and Students Challenge Government Measures

The protests build upon months of “low-intensity” strikes by education workers. I.K. reports that as more high schools joined the student protests, teachers’ unions were considering intensifying their actions. The government attempted to pre-empt these moves by announcing an extended winter break, starting December 24.

However, A.G.A. reports that students at Belgrade’s XIV Gymnasium voted to continue attending school despite the declared break, clarifying that their decision was “exclusively a response to the imposed holiday by the Government of Serbia and the Ministry of Education aimed at breaking the high school blockades.”

Government Response and Sunday’s Critical Demonstration

While President Vučić has pledged to meet protesters’ demands, including releasing all documents related to the station’s reconstruction and ensuring accountability, the protests continue. I.K. reports that a major demonstration is planned for Sunday, December 22, at 16:00 at Slavija Square. Farmer and activist Zlatko Kokanović tells Mašina: “Students are calling us – parents, farmers, doctors, professors, lawyers, judges, prosecutors, police, military: ’Come and stand with your children.’”

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