Students from several faculties at the University of Novi Sad reported receiving threatening phone calls on Thursday, warning them not to organize a protest on February 16 against Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, according to N1, as reported.
The protest is planned ahead of Vučić’s visit for the 200th anniversary celebration of Matica Srpska (Serbian Cultural Society) at the Serbian National Theatre in central Novi Sad.
Student groups had called for a public gathering outside the theatre to oppose Vučić’s attendance. In a post titled “Students Are Not Cowards,” they shared testimonies from peers who received the threatening calls and published three phone numbers used in the messages, urging authorities to take action.
According to the students, during a meeting on Wednesday, they discussed organizing both a public and private gathering on February 16. On Thursday morning, many students whether they had attended the meeting or not—received nearly identical threatening calls, which concluded with a “final warning” suggesting that participants could face legal consequences for “disturbing public order,” “attacking the president,” or “violating the constitutional order.”
The students emphasized that they do not plan to threaten any official or institution, and they expressed confidence that there is no evidence supporting the claims in the threats. They also questioned who has the authority to “negotiate” with someone planning to disrupt public order and warned against attempts to delay or cancel their constitutional right to protest.
They concluded by urging the authorities to investigate immediately who accessed student data, who made the threatening calls, and who is behind the intimidation efforts.
