The student protests in Belgrade are similar to the Solidarity movement in Poland and represent a second chance for Serbian society. This was stated by Serbian regional politics analyst, Dušan Janjić, on A2CNN. According to him, this is not a partisan movement, but the anger of citizens against the government in Serbia.
“The message is to peacefully move towards freedom of speech and justice. Today, they sent a message to the High Prosecutor’s Office, which is a symbol of the dysfunction of institutions in Serbia. These movements are for dissatisfied citizens in Serbia and represent a crystallization of the anger of citizens towards the government and the situation in Serbia. It is not a movement for the opposition but an independent one, and I hope it will continue to grow and become more influential in Serbia’s public scene. Essentially, it is a second chance for Serbian society. These are mass movements of people dissatisfied with the situation in Serbia, not just with the government. It’s a strong movement of young people who have established connections with other social groups. Today, we had students and the postal union, and many other unions will join this movement. It is something similar to the Solidarity events in Poland. It cannot be a partisan movement and cannot be shut down simply because of electoral calculations,” he said.
Janjić outlined three options on how Vučić and Vučević might respond to the protests, with the first option being a peaceful change of power.
“On the political level, the main question is how the government will respond and how Vučić and the ruling parties will react. We have three options; the first, which is my preferred option, is a peaceful change of power. The first approach is for Vučić to reform his party, to have a better situation for next year, and for early parliamentary elections. Vučić and Vučević are insisting on an ethnically unified government, but people are against this.”
Regarding the escalation of tensions, Janjić emphasized that they misunderstood the student protest and caused a lot of violence, involving the police and special Cobra units. However, according to Janjić, the students’ message was: “You can send Cobra, but we are anaconda.”
“They are not capable, and they have shown that they misunderstood the student protests and the protests of other groups. This has led to activities that could produce serious problems and violence, involving the police and special military Cobra units. One of the slogans chosen by the students was: ‘You can send Cobra, but we are anaconda,’ which means they are ready to confront this challenge.”
The other options, according to the Serbian analyst, are: “Building a process over time to prepare the new democratic conditions for elections and having some kind of transition. The fight for this is happening between the opposition, which still demands government reforms, and others who are not ready to let go. The main issue will be how the players will respond to the power mechanism.”
He accused Vučić of ties to criminal groups and clans, which have the largest influence on Serbia’s economy, and expressed concern over a scenario similar to Syria unfolding in Serbia.
“Vučić is not showing leadership. I am concerned about this ‘deep state,’ not only regarding business structures, the military, and police but also criminal groups and clan leaders involved in Serbia’s economy, particularly in infrastructure investments. They control huge funds in these investments, laundering money from the drug trade. This kind of business is not local and is under Vučić’s control. He performs as if he controls them, but he has received many signals. Everything is not just in his hands but also in the hands of international actors controlling the drug business in Serbia. It is no coincidence that, in preparation for the student protests, Vučić paid 10 million for technology supplies, which was invested in Gaza to stop the protest. Everyone was talking about Russia, but Russia is a side player. At this moment, Vučić is directing, supported by technology, and the Mossad is doing damage to themselves. I am concerned that everything will end in the destruction of Vučić’s policies. It could last a few more months, or we might see a scenario similar to Syria.”
