Thousands of students and citizens in Belgrade gathered today in front of the General Staff building, vowing to “defend it with their bodies” if the government proceeds with plans to demolish one of Serbia’s most significant cultural and historical landmarks.
The protest, organized by students from the Faculty of Applied Arts, Faculty of Architecture, and Faculty of Philosophy, along with the General Staff Ensemble initiative, carried the symbolic slogan “We Are the Human Wall.”
Participants formed a human chain around the iconic war-damaged complex and drew a red line around the site — a visual warning that crossing it would mean crossing the line of Serbia’s cultural heritage and national dignity.
“Culture Against Betrayal”: Students Condemn Vučić’s Regime
Protesters held banners reading “Culture Against Traitors,” denouncing President Aleksandar Vučić’s government for abolishing the building’s protected status and for adopting an illegal lex specialis law allowing its demolition.
“The state must protect culture, not destroy it. Removing the General Staff’s heritage status is not only illegal but an act of cultural betrayal,”
said a senior conservator from the Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments.
“If the General Staff falls, what’s next — Dečani? Studenica?”
The students issued a clear warning to Vučić’s regime:
“Our demands are the abolition of the illegal lex specialis, the reinstatement of the General Staff’s cultural heritage status, and the completion of the organized crime investigation into abuses of office tied to this case.
This is our first warning: We will not allow the General Staff to fall.”
The Lex Specialis: Vučić’s Gift to Trump’s Son-in-Law
On November 7, Serbia’s National Assembly, controlled by Vučić’s ruling party, passed a lex specialis allowing the demolition of the General Staff building to make way for luxury hotels and residential towers linked to Donald Trump’s son-in-law.
The decision overrides Serbia’s Cultural Heritage Law, the Law on Planning and Construction, and even violates the Constitution, sparking widespread outrage among cultural experts, architects, and the public.
Experts Reject Government Lies About “Structural Instability”
While the government claims that the buildings are “in danger of collapse,” experts from the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Belgrade — who authored a technical study in 2006 — insist otherwise.
“There is no evidence the building cannot be restored,” said Professor Dušan Najdanović, one of the project’s original engineers.
“Both buildings could be safely repaired. The B building is largely stable, and the damaged sections of A could be rebuilt. Demolishing it would be a cultural catastrophe.”
Najdanović also dismissed government claims of high costs:
“Restoration would cost only a few tens of millions of euros — far less than Vučić’s absurdly expensive National Stadium project.”
Public Outrage Growing Across Serbia
The protest in Belgrade has become a symbol of civic resistance to Vučić’s authoritarian control and his government’s systematic destruction of Serbia’s cultural identity.
As thousands chanted “We will not give up the General Staff!”, they sent a clear message: Serbia’s heritage is not for sale, and its people will not remain silent while the government trades history for profit and political favors.
