Anti-corruption protests have escalated in Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, as student-led demonstrators clashed with supporters of the ruling political party, demanding new elections.
Over the last week, violent confrontations between anti-government protesters and Serbian security forces have intensified, with protesters setting fire to an office building belonging to the ruling party in Novi Sad.
“You will see the full determination of the Serbian state. We will use everything at our disposal to restore law, peace and order,” President Vucic stated in an address to the nation Saturday night.
Tens of thousands of college students have been marching and protesting since December, following the deaths of 16 people in the collapse of a railway station in the Serbian town of Novi Sad. The station’s canopy collapsed on November 1, after renovations conducted by two Chinese companies.
The government faces accusations of failing to implement student demands, including the release of all documentation related to the train station’s reconstruction. In his speech, Vucic asserted that justice must be served for all those responsible for the 16 victims of the Novi Sad rail station collapse.
Critics have condemned the heavy-handed response used against protesters. Alan Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, expressed concern over the rising violence.
Berset stated, “I call for calm and respect of the right to peaceful assembly. Serbian authorities must uphold Council of Europe standards. The rule of law and respect for human rights must prevail.”
Serbia’s Foreign Minister, Marko Djuric, responded to the criticism in a statement, asserting, “We respect and protect peaceful protest—it is part of our democratic fabric. But when demonstrations turn into physical attacks and attempts to destabilize the country, the government has both the right and the duty to respond.”
“This is by far the biggest threat Vucic has faced in the last 13 years, and it is very unlikely that Vucic will weather the storm without elections,” Helena Ivanov, senior fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, commented.
Ivanov added, “The country is not functioning, and the situation is dangerously escalating. The only way out of the problem is to hold free and fair elections as soon as possible. Everything else will further destabilize the situation, which could have devastating consequences.”
A persistent accusation against the government is its failure to fulfill one of the original student demands, specifically the release of all documentation related to the reconstruction of the train station.
What began as spontaneous protests voicing dissatisfaction with the handling of the railway catastrophe has transformed into a movement opposing widespread corruption and the erosion of the rule of law under Vucic.
One significant demonstration occurred on March 15, with nearly 350,000 people gathered in Slavija Square in central Belgrade.
Serbia’s then-Prime Minister Milos Vucevic announced his resignation in January amid the nationwide protests, making him the most senior government member to step down.
“Serbian students put forward several demands, the first and most important being the release of documentation regarding the reconstruction of the Novi Sad train station, where the collapse of the canopy killed 16 people. To this day, no one has been held accountable,” Filip Ubović, a student from the University of Belgrade and protest participant on the ground in Belgrade, explained.
Ubovic stated that the protests were originally aimed at influencing the institutions responsible for upholding the rule of law, and not directly against the ruling party. As the government failed to hold any officials accountable for the tragedy or release any information on the canopy collapse, the protesters realized it was time to demand elections.