Student-led protests beseige Serbia

Serbia has become a hub of student-led protests. In just four months, protests have erupted across over 400 cities, towns, and villages, with universities and faculties enduring blockages lasting three months or more. Every two weeks, hundreds of students march to various cities, culminating in massive demonstrations attended by tens of thousands. Across the country, protests and blockades spring up daily, marking a pervasive wave of resistance. Each day, between 11:52 a.m. and 12:07 p.m., hundreds – if not thousands – pause in silence to honour the 15 victims of a canopy collapse. On 15 March, over 300,000 people gathered in Belgrade for what is now regarded as the largest protest against a government in Serbia’s history, writes Dr Helena Ivanov, Associate Research Fellow, The Henry Jackson Society.

Contrary to what one might expect, Serbian protests have not garnered the level of attention typically associated with such large-scale movements. If these protests were happening elsewhere, wouldn't they dominate headlines worldwide, with continuous updates and breaking news coverage? Just think back to how much you heard and read about the Yellow Vest protests in France (Mouvement des Gilets Jaunes).

To be fair, you may have seen the headlines about Serbian Prime Minister’s resignation under pressure from mass protests, or read about the largest demonstration, which took place in Belgrade on 15th March. But I’d wager that in the meantime, you’ve heard little else. In fact, you’re probably not even sure what triggered these protests or why people are still outraged over a canopy collapse in Novi Sad that took place all the way back in November 2024.

But I cannot, in good faith, place the blame on journalists. In fact, many are doing their best to report on the situation in Serbia accurately. Moreover, a journalist’s primary responsibility is to inform people about issues that matter to them – something many Serbian journalists could stand to learn. And for an issue to become important to the public, and therefore newsworthy, it must either directly affect their daily lives or be actively addressed by politicians – after all, journalists report on what those in power are doing.

And while events in Serbia may have little impact on the daily lives of foreigners, the silence of European politicians speaks volumes. Aside from a few exceptions within the European Parliament, most high-ranking officials across the EU and within its institutions have said little to nothing about the unfolding situation in Serbia. This lack of response has even led MEPs to send a letter to Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, “urging her to emphasize to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic that he must respect democracy”.

Some, like Donald Trump Jr., the sitting US President’s son, even held “cordial” talks with Vučić just days before the 15th March protest – yet not about the unrest or the country’s situation. Instead, their discussions focused on economic ties amid a deal struck the previous year between the Serbian government and Jared Kushner’s firm, Affinity Global Development, to build a hotel on the former Yugoslav People’s Army headquarters, damaged in the 1999 NATO bombing. Both the visit and the project have sparked significant local backlash.

Thus, Western political silence on Serbia persists. To be clear, I am not calling for Western politicians to interfere. The students leading the protests have made it clear that they do not want anyone – foreign or domestic – co-opting their fight. They have even discouraged political flags or symbols at protests, including those of the EU, which were common in previous anti-government demonstrations.

What I am calling out, however, is the hypocrisy at play. The EU constantly pressures Serbia to implement democratic reforms, yet when democracy is blatantly undermined, it falls conspicuously silent. Take press freedom – virtually non-existent on media outlets with national outreach. As the largest protest unfolded in Belgrade, Serbia’s public broadcaster, RTS, aired reruns of old TV series, while even foreign media covered the demonstrations live. Meanwhile, in just the first 59 days of 2025, President Vučić has addressed the nation 80 times.

The NGO sector is also no longer safe. In a move which clearly escalated the regime’s “coloured revolution” rhetoric, the Serbian government, encouraged by the dismantling of USAID, “on 25 February sent dozens of police officers, many of them armed, to raid the offices of four nongovernmental organizations. They made the raids without warrants.” However, the biggest recipient of USAID – the Serbian government – has not been further investigated, and in fact, the Serbian Parliament has recently “scrubbed the aid agency’s logo from the home page of its website”. And to date, Serbian officials accuse the West of financing the students in an attempt to overthrow Vučić’s government through a "coloured revolution."

Finally, and perhaps most critically, after four months of protests, the students’ demands – including the publication of all relevant documentation regarding the reconstruction of the Novi Sad train station and the identification and prosecution of those responsible for the attacks on students and professors – remain unmet. What’s more, violence against the students has intensified since the blockades began. Some students have been run over by cars, while others have been beaten by members of the Serbian Progressive Party, with one female student being so severely struck with a baseball bat that her jaw was broken. But once again, on all these matters, Western politicians have remained silent.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Serbia's refusal to impose sanctions on Russia – a position supported by over 70% of Serbia's population – the West has been left grappling with how to win over the hearts and minds of the Serbian people and sever the deep ties the country has with Russia. While the process of breaking this bond involves a variety of complex steps, the analysis of which falls beyond the scope of this op-ed, one thing is certain. To present oneself as a champion of democracy and then remain silent when democratic principles are being undermined only serves to alienate the very people who most desire to see democracy flourish. They will see through the hypocrisy and, in turn, distance themselves from the EU.

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