BELGRADE —02.11.2025
The President of the Democratic Party (DS), Srđan Milivojević, issued a powerful appeal to citizens late tonight to stand in solidarity with Dijana Hrka the mother of the young man who tragically died in the Novi Sad station canopy collapse who has begun a hunger strike in front of the National Assembly of Serbia.
In front of a growing crowd of supporters, Milivojević declared that what is unfolding on the streets of Belgrade is “the epic struggle of our generation for freedom,” directly confronting the increasingly authoritarian grip of Aleksandar Vučić’s regime.
“I call on the citizens not to disperse. I know tomorrow is a working day — but this is where the real Assembly of Serbia sits tonight,” said Milivojević for N1 television, speaking from the steps of Parliament surrounded by demonstrators. “This is where our fight for freedom happens, not in that building where they pretend to practice democracy.”
The opposition leader also appealed to Members of Parliament to boycott the upcoming session scheduled for November 4, asking pointedly: “How does this government plan to hold a session while the people are outside demanding justice?”
Milivojević drew a stark line between the suffering of ordinary citizens and what he described as the “moral collapse of Vučić’s state,” condemning the ruling party’s use of paid provocateurs and police intimidation.
“Citizens did not come to fight. They came to seek justice, to defend dignity, and to reclaim freedom,” he said. “And I tell Vučić and his regime — you will not crush justice, nor will you trample the libertarian spirit of this nation with the boots of your hooligans, those who sit in tents outside Parliament with more criminal records than the entire Central Prison.”
Tensions escalated throughout the night as supporters of Dijana Hrka faced off with regime loyalists camped in Pionirski Park and in front of the Assembly. Police cordons separated the two groups, while traffic was suspended across the city center amid sporadic use of pyrotechnics.
Witnesses report that the government camp — heavily guarded and organized — appeared designed to provoke clashes, further illustrating the regime’s effort to paint legitimate civic protest as chaos.
For many Serbs, Hrka’s hunger strike has become more than a mother’s plea for justice — it is a symbol of resistance against a government that has long abandoned accountability. As Milivojević declared, the fight for Serbia’s freedom no longer takes place inside Vučić’s Parliament, but outside its gates, where the people are finally raising their voices.
