Serbian students staged a day-long blockade of a major traffic intersection in Belgrade with the support of farmers, increasing pressure on President Aleksandar Vučić.
The wave of student-led demonstrations began as a protest against government corruption after the roof collapse at the Novi Sad railway station on November 1, which killed 15 people, writes the British Guardian, reported Danas.
Despite attacks on demonstrators and limited government concessions, the almost daily protests grew and spread, affecting more than 100 cities and towns and attracting increasing support from members of the judiciary, teachers, private businesses, and the general public.
On Monday, protesters occupied the Autokomanda intersection, where two main roads from the southeast converge on their way to downtown Belgrade.
Thousands of Belgraders joined the protests, as did farmers who brought their tractors to the capital, some of which were used to protect protesters, after two serious incidents when cars crashed into crowds of protesters.
The appearance of farmers and tractors was a reflection of the mass protests and marches on Belgrade that brought down the regime of Vučić's predecessor, Slobodan Milošević, in late 2000. Milošević's fall, however, came only when key elements of the security forces turned against him.
After a record 100.000 people protested in Belgrade on December 22, Vučić threatened them, saying Serbian special forces would “break them up in 6-7 seconds.” But the threat was widely ridiculed, and he has so far not attempted to use security forces to break up the protests.
The government has sought to accommodate some of the students' demands, most importantly by declassifying some documents about the collapse of the Novi Sad station canopy, which occurred shortly after the station was renovated by a Chinese-led consortium.
Protesters claim the collapse was caused by corruption and cut corners in construction work. Thirteen people have been charged over the disaster, including former Serbian Transport Minister Goran Vesic, who resigned days after the collapse.
The government released more relevant documents on Sunday, but it is unclear whether this will be enough to calm the demonstrations. Protest leaders are also demanding an end to the prosecution of protesters, the arrest and prosecution of those involved in attacks on protesters, and increased funding for education.
Alida Vračić, co-founder and executive director of Populari, a think tank focused on the Western Balkans, said the persistence of the demonstrations posed a serious challenge to Vučić, who has dominated Serbian politics since becoming prime minister in 2014.
“They could really be a threat because of their unique approach. These students are going beyond the usual opposition and bypassing the standard playbook for dealing with inefficient governance. They are not looking for dialogue or compromises, they are looking for institutions to simply do their job,” Vračić said. “This directness is what hurts the most and remains far beyond the reach of the Serbian political toolbox.”
"Bringing together thousands around a unifying demand – justice – they found a powerful and resonant message and mobilized thousands. In the Balkans, where injustice has been tolerated for too long, their call for change is urgent. It was time to change and spill over elsewhere."
Edward Joseph, a former US diplomat at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, said that it is possible that the political tide in Serbia is turning.
"Teachers – and many other professions – followed the example of students who protested en masse after the collapse of a canopy at the Novi Sad train station on November 1," he wrote in a social media post.
"Reportedly, even judges – prominent civil servants – left the courthouses to support the passing protesters… The fear factor has disappeared. Even in the degraded Balkan democracy, people still have freedom of choice and can still demand accountability."
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