There have been protests in Serbia for weeks. Young people, students in particular, have been taking to the streets. The German media only report on this in passing. We therefore asked our colleagues from the Serbian Reconstruction Women’s Fund to tell us about the situation from their perspective. Galina Maksimović answered our questions.

Galina, what is the story behind the protests in Serbia? How did they come about?

On November 1, 2024, the newly renovated canopy of the station building in Novi Sad collapsed, killing 15 people. What followed was a mixture of grief, anger and protests, which were actually meant to be peaceful and commemorative. However, the protests soon turned violent, triggered mainly by paid hooligans protected by the police. The demonstrators only threw red paint at government buildings and the premises of the ruling party. However, the police arrested many activists and citizens during these first few days. This in turn sparked new protests for their release. These arrests were unfair. They were directed against peaceful protesters and were carried out like “kidnappings”. In the case of some of those arrested, no one knew where they were for days.

“The protests in Serbia are now a daily occurrence”

How did the protests then develop?

In the meantime, the commemoration of the deceased has become a daily event. Every day at 11:52 a.m., the time of the collapse, people block the streets for fifteen minutes. These protests in Serbia now reach every region of the country. Some of these peaceful blockades have unfortunately led to further incidents. For example, one person deliberately ran into a vigil for the deceased. Several people were injured.

Many students are on strike at their universities during the protests. Why is that?

A dramatic incident occurred in front of the University of the Arts, where several students were physically attacked. The attackers included local politicians. After this incident, the students of this faculty called a full strike and began to blockade their building to demand that the attackers be prosecuted – which has not yet happened.

“Students have gone on a full strike”

Other faculties soon joined in, so that 62 out of 80 faculties are currently blocked. The students use plenary sessions and direct democracy to make decisions. I had the opportunity to see the situation in one of the faculties and I noticed that the students are very responsible and have firm principles to ensure safety and order. Their peaceful protests take many forms. From daily blockades to huge protests with over 100,000 people. Walks from city to city on foot. Making the struggle visible, which is not shown in the regime or on public television. Mega-marathons between the cities. There were blockades of bridges, squares and strategic roads that lasted up to 28 hours at times.

What are the protesters demanding?

In every town and village the students come to, they are seen as liberators. They have awakened a hope that has not existed for decades. Their four demands reflect a common interest of the majority of people in Serbia. First: The publication of ALL documents relating to the reconstruction of the station. Second: The prosecution of people who attacked students and professors – and their dismissal from political functions. Third: The withdrawal of criminal charges against peaceful demonstrators. And fourthly: an increase in the budget for universities. These are the demands that are currently uniting people of all ages and from across the political spectrum.

“They are seen as liberators”

Who have the students joined forces with?

The faculties and students have different views and political opinions, but they are united in these four basic demands. At the same time, they are determined to distance themselves from any political party, but also from NGOs and other organizations. As you know, NGOs are often seen as “foreign agents”. The students try to remain independent. Nevertheless, they establish contacts with various progressive movements, especially through the self-organized lectures and round tables they hold at their faculties during the blockades. That’s the point of the whole thing: although they don’t have regular classes, they actually learn about issues that are important but that they wouldn’t normally hear about at their faculties.

“The battle multiplies”

The struggle is multiplying – students are joining forces with trade unions and networks of experts who are also striking or carrying out other forms of blockade. School employees, lawyers, agricultural workers, cultural workers.

How feminist are the protests in Serbia?

As far as the feminist component is concerned, it has only been vaguely recognizable in recent months. Feminist issues are the focus of discussions at some faculties, and films with feminist or queer themes are also being shown. As are other issues important to feminism – climate justice, social and class issues. Unfortunately, some faculties are traditionally conservative, so some guest speakers and the topics they talk about tend to be right-wing. Since this is a true mass movement, pluralism is inevitable. The great thing is that many of the students actively involved in the protest are the same young people who are otherwise engaged in feminist and peace-building activities. Did you know that the student movement was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize?

How does the situation affect your work as the women’s fund?

As far as our work is concerned, it has not been significantly affected so far. We are only affected by traffic jams or the fact that we are taking more time for protests. We also receive calls from activists who want to advise us in certain situations.

“Many activists are burning out”

But: Other colleagues from larger organizations have just been through a few weeks of hell. The police have raided their offices. Allegedly in search of evidence of misuse of USAID funds they have received. In reality, this is just a fear-mongering tactic. They are trying to scare the students and everyone who is protesting by blackmailing, arresting, slandering people, scaring their family members and spying on them, especially activists. Some activists from the movement were spied on. Their conversations were used by the tabloid press to discredit students. The pressure on activists is high, but the fear has disappeared. Our role as a women’s foundation continues to be to serve the core needs of the feminist movement and to be a reliable partner. Many activists are burning out because they are doing their regular activism while supporting students without having much time to catch their breath.

A second chance for democracy

What will the protests in Serbia achieve?

Right now we are experiencing a beautiful, moving, peaceful, widespread solidarity that moves us all. However, the tensions caused by government pressure are growing. A big protest has been announced for mid-March and there are fears that this time there will be massive violence by police and special forces. The government has tried so many things and failed. So violence is the only thing that remains.

But the students have created a healthy base that calls for solidarity and unites a very divided society. This base should be both a promise and a warning that whoever comes to power after this will be closely watched by the citizens who have finally understood their collective power. It will no longer be so easy to rob the country and its citizens, blackmail them or organize electoral fraud. It could be a great new start and a second chance for democracy.

Thank you very much for your time and your assessment!

Foto Detail: The Associated Press 2025