Students from the University of Niš have announced a new protest scheduled for March 1, marking the anniversary of the adoption of the so-called Students’ Edict and last year’s large student demonstration in the southern Serbian city of Niš.
The protest will follow a series of events titled “Week of Freedom”, planned from February 23 to 27 across several cities in southern Serbia, including Aleksinac, Leskovac, Vranje, Prokuplje, and Pirot.
According to the students organizing the events, public forums will address key issues such as ecology, corruption, the economy, workers’ rights, healthcare, media freedom, and the functioning of local governments. The initiative aims to raise awareness of social and economic challenges facing the region.
“Southern Serbia must oppose the trend of emigration, poverty, and silence. These forums are a step toward naming the problems, connecting people, and jointly starting the struggle for a dignified life in our own cities,” the students said in a statement shared on Instagram.
The planned protest also commemorates the large student gathering held on March 1, 2025, when tens of thousands of people from across Serbia gathered in Niš and proclaimed the Students’ Edict, a document outlining principles such as Freedom, Statehood, Justice, Dignity, Knowledge, Solidarity, and the Future.
The declaration symbolically referenced the legacy of Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, who was born in Niš and issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which established religious tolerance in the Roman Empire.
