Tensions escalated in the Serbian capital on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, as hundreds of students and citizens gathered outside the Palace of Serbia (Palata Srbija) to protest the detention of student activist Lazar Mišić.
The demonstration was triggered by Mišić’s arrest earlier today at Belgrade’s Nikola Tesla Airport, a move that student groups have characterized as a politically motivated crackdown on dissent.
Allegations of State Destabilization
Lazar Mišić, a student at the University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Agriculture, is being held on serious charges that the government claims threaten national security. According to state broadcaster RTS, authorities have accused Mišić of:
- Inciting violent constitutional change: Allegedly encouraging the “violent overthrow of the state.”
- Assaulting an officer: Specifically, an incident involving a public official during the performance of their duties.
- Infrastructure Blockades: Planning and inciting the blockade of major highways and, most critically, the “Nikola Tesla” Thermal Power Plant (TENT) in Obrenovcu.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) claims these actions were intended to disrupt the nation’s electricity supply and “jeopardize the security and constitutional order of the country.” Mišić has been ordered into a 48-hour police detention.
“Students Will Prevail”
The response from the student body was swift. Demonstrators arrived at the Palace of Serbia—the seat of several government ministries—unfurling banners with the slogan “Students Will Prevail” (Studenti pobeđuju).
The protest was organized by student groups currently leading a “lockdown” of the Faculty of Agriculture. In a public statement, organizers warned that while the police have legal powers, those powers “have limits.”
“We are here to collectively watch every step the Ministry of Internal Affairs takes,” a student representative stated during the rally. “It is in everyone’s interest that these limits are not crossed.”
A Climate of Escalation
The arrest of Mišić comes amidst a broader wave of student-led anti-corruption and pro-democracy protests that have gripped Serbia since late 2024. These movements, sparked initially by a tragic infrastructure collapse in Novi Sad, have evolved into a nationwide challenge to President Aleksandar Vučić’s administration.
While the government continues to frame the activists as “extremists” and “foreign-funded agents” intent on chaos, the protesters maintain that their tactics—such as road blockades—are legitimate forms of civil disobedience against an increasingly authoritarian regime.
The standoff at the Palace of Serbia continues, with activists vowing to remain until Mišić is released or provided with a transparent legal process.
