A highly tense standoff unfolded today at Belgrade’s prominent Slavija Square as a student-led promotional action was met with a counter-presence by loyalists of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). A heavy cordon of police officers was deployed to the roundabout, positioned directly between the two opposing groups to prevent potential violence.
The student movement had scheduled their promotional event, titled “Students Win” (Studenti pobeđuju), to begin at 3:00 PM. The action involves utilizing stencils and spray paint to print the movement’s slogan onto t-shirts, tote bags, caps, and other merchandise for citizens to wear at a massive central protest scheduled for this coming Saturday. The printing action is slated to run continuously until 8:00 PM.
Incidents Disrupted Prior to the Event
The atmosphere deteriorated rapidly around 1:30 PM when the first wave of students arrived at Slavija Square to set up their equipment. They discovered that the entire perimeter of the roundabout had already been occupied by SNS supporters, who had erected numerous promotional booths adorned with the slogan “Serbia, Our Family” alongside banners reading “Serbia Wins.”
Simultaneously, students who have been staging a multi-day block of the nearby Faculty of Law issued an urgent distress call on social media. They claimed they were being surrounded and intimidated by “hired thugs” while attempting to transport logistics to Slavija Square, appealing to nearby citizens for immediate assistance.
According to student representative Branislava Pejović, a physical altercation was narrowly avoided due to the restraint of the demonstrators and the intervention of a local group.
“When we arrived, we saw the loyalists completely surrounding the square with their stands. There was a deliberate attempt from their side to provoke an incident. We ignored these provocations as much as we possibly could. In the end, it was a group of local bikers who stepped in and protected us from them,” Pejović told N1.
Heavy Police Presence Deployed
Following the initial friction, emergency police units rushed to the scene. Officers formed a physical human wall, facing both the SNS activists behind their tables and the growing crowd of students and supportive citizens gathering on the sidewalks.
Despite the high political tension, the situation has stabilized into a peaceful but uneasy standoff. The students have successfully unfurled a massive banner across the square reading “Slavija 23.5”, publicly solidifying their call for a total shutdown and protest at the Slavija roundabout on Saturday, May 23.
As of late afternoon, municipal traffic through the busy roundabout continues to flow normally despite the heavy police and demonstrator presence.
