A massive protest march organized by students of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts (FDU), joined by citizens, bikers and professors, took place today in Belgrade to mark one year since the attack on FDU students by supporters of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). The gathering began at 11:30 a.m. in front of the faculty, after which the participants moved through several key locations symbolically linked to last year’s events.
The march followed a 16-minute silence held in memory of the victims of the Novi Sad railway station canopy collapse, after which the crowd began its route through the city. Protesters carried a large banner displaying the names of the attackers involved in the assault on students and professors in 2023.
The column proceeded through Bulevar umetnosti toward the Novi Beograd Municipality, where pre-recorded speeches were played addressing the lack of institutional response over the past year. Additional groups of students, including those who departed from the Faculty of Agriculture in Zemun, joined the main column near the Fontana area, significantly increasing the crowd size. Traffic in several parts of Novi Beograd was completely blocked as the march advanced.
From Bulevar Mihajla Pupina, the demonstrators continued toward Branko’s Bridge, which they crossed early in the afternoon. According to reports from N1, actors from the National Theatre—which remained closed today on the occasion of its 157th anniversary—also joined the protest in solidarity.
Speaking during the event, Miloš Đajić, professor at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad and member of Pobunjeni Univerzitet, stressed that despite the passage of one year, justice has not been achieved. He noted that only through public pressure were four identified attackers led to admit their guilt, adding that the process occurred without a full court trial, as the individuals had reached plea agreements with the prosecution.
The march is set to continue toward Savski trg, specifically the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Savska Street, before heading to several additional locations associated with last year’s events, including Mostar and the Palace of Justice, with the final rally planned in front of RTS. Students previously emphasized that each stop along the route carries symbolic weight, marking institutions that either failed to act promptly or were directly involved in handling the cases related to the attacks.
The protests are not limited to Belgrade. According to N1, demonstrations were held in several cities across Serbia, expressing support for FDU students and professors and paying tribute to the victims of the Novi Sad tragedy.
The attack on November 22, 2023, triggered widespread outrage and resulted in the blockade of all state universities. It took the prosecution more than two months to announce how it would proceed, and not all perpetrators were included in the initial indictment. Most of those charged have since reached plea agreements with the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office, a decision that continues to draw criticism from both students and the academic community.
