Veljko Jovanović, full professor in the Department of Psychology at the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad, reported being physically assaulted during a police intervention at the university yesterday. According to Jovanović, officers pushed and struck him on the head and body.
Speaking to Danas, Jovanović described mixed emotions the day after the incident, including anger, despair, and frustration over what he characterized as a “pointless and unjustified action” by the faculty administration. The police were called to the building following a decision to terminate the employment of a colleague, which had sparked protests by students and faculty against the university leadership’s actions.
“Since the students declared a blockade, there had been speculation about a possible police intervention. Around 11 a.m., we learned that my colleague Kleut had received her termination notice. This decision represented the culmination of a deliberate and unfair scheme against her, and because the Faculty administration failed to clearly oppose it, some staff and students decided to protest inside the faculty building,” Jovanović explained.
He recounted that he and several colleagues were in the ground floor of the building when the police entered. “The intervention was violent. I was pushed, crushed, and struck on the head and body. I kept my hands raised and repeatedly identified myself as faculty staff, explaining there was no reason for me to be removed. Despite our pleas, the officers’ response appeared to escalate further,” he said.
Jovanović emphasized the role of universities in promoting critical thinking and social awareness, arguing that such incidents reflect attempts in autocratic systems to subdue, humiliate, and depoliticize educational institutions. “Police raids on campuses and the disciplining of dissenting voices are being normalized, yet there remains a core of the university community that resists these pressures,” he concluded.
