Serbian historian Milivoj Bešlin stated that President Aleksandar Vučić cannot win against the country’s students, emphasizing that “no authoritarian regime in history has ever defeated the youth of its own society.”
In an interview for N1 Television, Bešlin said that the ongoing student and civic protests mark “the biggest rebellion in modern Serbian history”, warning that Vučić’s resistance only deepens the national crisis.
“The longer Vučić delays the resolution of this situation, the higher the political and personal price of his fall will be. He cannot win — it’s just a matter of how and when this ends,” Bešlin said.
According to Bešlin, Vučić’s regime survives through violence and manipulation, using “shanty-camp thugs from Ćacilend” — a reference to the tent encampment in central Belgrade occupied by regime loyalists — to intimidate citizens and journalists.
“As long as that criminal camp stands in the heart of Belgrade, none of us are free. It’s not just an eyesore — it’s the physical symbol of a kidnapped state,” he added.
Bešlin argued that the regime is now in panic and disintegration, trying to divide and isolate society but facing growing unity among citizens:
“The regime is terrified because the protests are reuniting a deeply divided Serbia. This is the beginning of the end of Vučić’s authoritarian rule.”
He also praised Dijana Hrka, the mother of a young man killed in the collapse of a parliament canopy who is now on hunger strike, calling her “a symbol of the struggle for truth and justice.”
“In that brave woman, all the ideals of a rebelling and free Serbia meet,” Bešlin concluded.
