Thewesternbalkans.
Serbia has been embroiled in political unrest since November 1, 2024, when the roof of the recently renovated railway station in Novi Sad collapsed, claiming 15 lives. Initially, protests centered around 15-minute weekly commemorations held across the country, including in Novi Sad and Belgrade.
The situation escalated in late November after students from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts were physically attacked during one such commemoration. In response, students initiated a blockade of their faculty, a movement that quickly spread nationwide. By mid-December, most universities were under blockade. Tensions peaked in Belgrade when a protester was deliberately struck by a car.
On January 24, various businesses and organizations staged a one-day strike in solidarity with the student protests. Large protest marches were held nationwide, while the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) organized a counter-rally in Jagodina on the same day.
Students, supported by some opposition parties, have been advocating for a general strike to pressure the government to meet their demands related to the Novi Sad tragedy. These demands include the release of all documents concerning the station’s reconstruction, accountability for the tragedy, and an increase in the education budget. While opposition parties have expressed support, they are not leading the protests. Several opposition MPs and activists blocked highways in Novi Sad and Belgrade, leading to arrests by police.
In parallel, an unrelated incident added to the political tension. On January 22, Serbian authorities detained and expelled 13 participants from a conference organized by NGO Academy in Belgrade. The participants—hailing from Croatia, Albania, Austria, Slovenia, and other countries—were banned from re-entering Serbia for one year. Serbian authorities cited national security concerns, a claim often echoed by pro-government media, which accused foreign actors, particularly Croatia, of supporting the protests.
The deportation drew criticism from several EU states, NGOs, and the European Commission. Austria-based ERSTE Foundation, which supported the conference, confirmed the incident, and Croatia issued strong protests. The European Commission emphasized that measures taken under national security should align with legal and human rights standards, calling for Serbia to respect individual freedoms.
On January 27, President Aleksandar Vučić addressed the nation, announcing his intent to pardon 13 students and teachers facing charges for participating in anti-government protests. Meeting this demand marked a partial victory for protesters. However, other demands—such as holding accountable those responsible for violence against protesters and full transparency regarding the Novi Sad railway station’s reconstruction—remain unresolved.
Comments: What happened at the station in Novi Sad in November is undoubtedly a tragedy. On the other hand, however, the misfortune of the dead is used for actions that definitely bear the characteristics of the so-called “color revolutions”. What is inexplicable in the whole story is that this is happening at a time when Belgrade is buying new Raffals from France, signing a multibillion-Euro contract with Germany for the export of lithium to the EU and trying to continue the process of integration into the EU.
The protests, if prolonged, could impact Serbia’s political landscape, with suspicions that they might also be influenced by external forces.
Vučić began to fulfill the demands of the protesters. If he fulfills all four demands, but the protests continue, it will become clear that they have mainly political goals, regardless of the abstention of the political opposition at the moment. At the same time, during a visit in Belgrade on January 20, Gert Jan Koopman, director-general at the European Commission’s Directorate-General Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, met with the heads of opposition parliamentary groups and representatives of the civil sector in Serbia. Koopman noted that “the EU will not recognize and support a violent change of power in Serbia”.
