Opponents and supporters of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic gathered in various locations on April 12 to protest, at a time when tensions are high following months of protests organized by students against the government led by Vucic.
Vucic himself gathered his supporters in Belgrade, announcing that he would form a new political movement in response to the rising wave of protests that began in November, following the collapse of a shelter at the train station, which resulted in the deaths of 16 people in Novi Sad.
The protesters, led by student groups but joined by thousands of others, have blamed corruption and the lack of care for the tragedy at the Novi Sad train station.
The protests have turned into a broader movement that opposes what demonstrators call the failure of the rule of law, as well as systematic corruption under Vucic’s leadership, who has served as president since 2017, after previously serving as prime minister for three years.
Serbian protesters with bicycles arrived in Budapest on April 5 during their two-week journey, covering 1,300 kilometers to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.
Vucic insists that the protests – which have become one of the greatest challenges to his long-standing power – are endangering peace and stability in the country and accuses the organizers of being funded by “foreign intelligence agencies.”
Before thousands of supporters, Serbia’s populist president stated that authorities must begin procedures “to restore order in the country” and that “full respect for the Constitution [must happen] to guarantee Serbia’s security.”
Vucic said during the rally that a “Movement for the People and the State” was necessary because “we need new energy and new strength, a new plan, not a plan until 2027, but until 2035.”
He did not provide details for this movement but said more rallies would be held.
Vucic reiterated his call for students to return to school and declared that “the color revolution is over.”
Serbian authorities have consistently labeled the student-led protests and blockades as an attempt at a “color revolution.”
This term refers to popular uprisings in countries like Ukraine, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan, which led to the overthrow of governments there.
The popular protests that led to the overthrow of Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milošević in 2000 were also often referred to as a “color revolution.”
Journalists on the ground reported that many of the supporters who attended the rally were brought by bus from all over Serbia, as well as from Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina, where there are large Serbian minorities.
Students and others protested with banners, music, and chants in Novi Pazar.
Milorad Dodik, the Serbian leader of Bosnia – wanted by central authorities in Sarajevo after being convicted for violating the Constitution of Bosnia – appeared at the Belgrade rally, reported AFP, as stated by REL.
Dodik, who is president of the Serb entity in Bosnia, Republika Srpska, addressed the crowd at the rally.
He is also under sanctions by the United States and the United Kingdom for actions that Western governments say aim to separate Republika Srpska from Bosnia.
The Public Gatherings Archive, a non-governmental organization that estimates crowd sizes, said around 55,000 people attended the Belgrade rally. On March 15, the group estimated that the student-led protest against the government had between 275,000 and 325,000 participants.
Meanwhile, the student-led protest was held on the streets of Novi Pazar, about 300 kilometers south of the capital.
A caricature of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic with the message “You are not in charge” was seen at the student protest on February 1, 2025.
The protest is among a series of demonstrations called by students who have blocked university faculties for over four months, demanding accountability from the government for the deaths of 16 people after the collapse of a concrete shelter in Novi Sad.
A group of students on blockade walks daily from other cities to Novi Pazar to join the protesters there.
Students from Novi Pazar University blocked the roundabout on the outskirts of the city.
Buses with supporters of the ruling Progressive Party of Serbia, led by Vucic, were scheduled to pass through that roundabout on their way to rallies in Belgrade. It was unclear whether the buses took alternative routes.
