The hum of the drones flying over the crowd to take images was the only thing that could be heard this Saturday starting at 11:52, and for 16 minutes, in front of the Novi Sad station. At that time, a year ago, two Chinese companies with Serbian subcontractors. A large part of society registered this fact as a logical consequence of years of corruption and lack of transparency. Quite a symbol. For this reason, the commemoration of the first anniversary was loaded with very clear messages of rejection of the Government, without the need to say words from the stage or display banners.
The students who began the protests a year ago with their hands painted red, demanding accountability and under the slogan “corruption kills,” managed to gather tens of thousands of people. They arrived peacefully from various parts of the country and left in the same way: in silence, without visible leaders on the stage, just as they have acted for a year. But with a clear objective for those present: the fall.
Above many heads stood the international player Vladimir Stimac, 2.11 meters tall, who greeted his followers: “This Vucic Government wants to divide people by sowing hatred. But we are a multi-ethnic country. And the students have known how to unite people.”
Novi Sad is a peaceful city, crossed by the Danube River on its way to the Black Sea. Large tree-lined avenues, bike paths, gyms and electric motorcycles abound. Its more than 300,000 inhabitants, many of them young, have a reputation for quiet people. And yet, it is under this apparent calm that the germ of change began.
Like so many other weeks, on Friday, before the demonstration, at 11:52 in the morning, dozens of citizens blocked several roads for 16 minutes. In one of them was Nomir, 47 years old, a teacher at the Mihajlo Pupin school. This teacher, like other interviewees, prefers to hide his last name. “In this country we live in darkness, with most of the media in the hands of the Government. But we have to win this battle. If not, what will become of our children? They will all have to go away.”
Students demand early elections. , with 48% of the votes, and the following are scheduled for 2027, the year in which the Government is preparing . But that is too long a time frame for many.
Jelena, a 22-year-old fourth-year law student, says that “there is no turning back” in the fight for the fall of the regime. It is the same as what all those consulted think, with similar words. “My mother died without finding a job because she did not belong to the party, to the SNS. In this country there are many people in positions of responsibility who are not qualified. Prosecutors and judges have their hands tied to get to the bottom of matters. But Vucic is weaker every day.”
Aleksander, 19 years old and who prefers not to reveal his last name, aspires to enter the Faculty of Mathematics in Novi Sad. He explains that his mother already took to the streets 30 years ago to demand basic rights against the regime of Slobodan Milosevic, of which Vucic was Minister of Information. “I don’t want my future children to show up for the same reasons I do now. Many people know that this is our last chance.”
The students elected their delegates months ago, and have met in several cities to discuss a list of candidates for future elections and an electoral program that encompasses the aspirations of the different currents within the movement. Nadja Solaja, 22 years old and a fourth-year journalism student, explains: “In one year I have met more than 100 times. Some of those meetings lasted up to six hours. It has not been easy to choose our representatives. They were democratic elections and, at the same time, secret. But now we are more organized and prepared than ever.”
The organization of the tribute to the victims has been a marvel of efficiency. Many students wore yellow vests to help the rest of the attendees. And veterans of , with their iconic red berets, were in charge of security.
The great challenge for this diverse movement is to demonstrate that it can be a credible alternative in the next elections. , president of the International Advisory Committee of the Belgrade Center for Security Policy think tank, believes that if the Government does not call early elections it is “because it is weaker than ever.” And he considers that his strategy will consist of creating discord between students and opposition parties. “But if the democratic front presents a unified form in the elections, even if it is on different lists, this regime will not have any chance of victory,” he concludes.
For his part, student Aleksander assumes that they will not be able to solve the problems that the country has suffered in the last 30 years. However, he also believes that they can create the conditions for free debate on some issues. “The issue that most polarizes society is Kosovo [y el posible reconocimiento de su independencia]. But right now it is impossible to get out of the territory set by the Government’s propaganda. We have to get people to express themselves without fear.”
Journalist Zeljko Veljkovic, who works for United Media, the main independent media critical of the Government, warns that the presence of European informants in Serbia is of vital importance at this time: “Because, until last month, the EU has supported Vucic. People felt abandoned, and here there are many of us who are fighting to join Europe. We need the support of Brussels.”
