German media are closely following the escalating protests in Serbia, with agencies like KNA reporting a worsening situation. “For more than six months, thousands of people have been protesting in Serbia. They are exceptionally creative in devising new protest strategies,” states the German press.
From Anti-Corruption to Civil Disobedience
What began as a protest against corruption is increasingly becoming a test for the Serbian government. “In Serbia, students are increasingly turning to civil disobedience, while the police are responding with a wave of arrests,” reports the German news agency KNA. Demonstrators are temporarily paralyzing traffic in Belgrade, Novi Sad, and other cities using sit-ins, garbage containers, and other street barricades. These actions followed large demonstrations on Saturday, where over 100,000 people in the capital demanded early parliamentary elections.
“Peaceful and Innovative Method Driving Police Mad”
The Berlin-based newspaper Tagesspiegel highlights the innovative tactics of the protesters. “In Belgrade, it’s impossible to plan anything for days,” the newspaper writes. “Wherever you go, you encounter barricades erected by protesting citizens. And people face special police units in full combat gear and menacing black masks over their faces.”
Public transport is frequently interrupted, with about thirty lines canceled in Belgrade on Wednesday alone. “Every day, dozens of ‘terrorists’ – meaning citizens peacefully demonstrating in the streets – are being arrested,” the newspaper notes. The civil protests, initiated by students and continuing nationwide for over half a year, including university blockades, have entered a new phase of civil disobedience.
The German newspaper assesses that the turning point came after the June 28 protests and subsequent clashes between police and demonstrators. “On June 29, after a stormy night, things initially remained calm. Autocrat Vučić declared victory, and students counted the bloody heads and the arrested. But then in the evening, within an hour, the whole of Belgrade was blocked, affecting the most important intersections and bridges over the Sava River. These blockades have continued.”
The Tagesspiegel concludes: “The method is peaceful and innovative, and it’s driving the completely powerless police mad. Groups of citizens block roads and erect barricades in their neighborhoods. When the police arrive, they obey the order to leave, leave the cleaning of the barricades to the police, and wait until they leave. When this happens, everything starts again. The police are completely overwhelmed. Meanwhile, the heat is scorching. Police officers in helmets and gear are not only exhausted but also feel humiliated by this cat-and-mouse game.”
The newspaper concludes by stating: “Autocracy is shaking. A 20-year-old student summarized it thus: ‘There is nothing more dangerous for an authoritarian regime than when citizens are no longer afraid and when they mock the autocrats.'”