Serbia has been engulfed in a wave of protests across the country for weeks against corruption at high levels of government. The wave of protests was triggered by the collapse of a concrete roof at the train station in Novi Sad last November (2024), which resulted in the deaths of 16 people.
The public outrage over the tragedy in Novi Sad is linked to the responsibility of the leaders who failed to take sufficient action against corruption and did not ensure proper oversight of construction projects.
Students have been actively engaged in protests, continuously finding peaceful but intensive ways to raise awareness about the issues. The bicycle tour to Strasbourg aims to draw the attention of the EU to the problems in Serbia.
Students: The EU Needs to Get More Involved
Wearing helmets and fluorescent jackets, and wrapped in the Serbian flag, around 80 students began their ride from the University of Novi Sad campus toward their 1,800 km destination in the west. During the journey, the students will pass through several European cities, including Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, and Munich. In addition to Europe, they want to raise awareness among the Serbian diaspora in these countries. The students were seen off by Novi Sad residents with cheers, chanting “pumpaj, pumpaj,” one of the protest slogans (pumping), reports DW.
Serbia is a candidate country for EU membership, and Brussels has asked it to take steps to promote media freedom, fight corruption, and reform the electoral system. However, some protesters believe that Europe has not taken a strong enough stance and has been too lenient towards the government in Belgrade.
Protest Tours Within Serbia
Students and citizen protesters have also been walking within the country, marching towards the Serbian capital from mid-March. Dozens of protests and incidents occurred just during the past week. President Aleksandar Vučić and his government have not yet surrendered easily. He claims that the protests are over, while students say that this will be decided by them, not the president.
The protests led to the resignation of Prime Minister Miloš Vukčević. The students say that the protests will not stop and that their end will not come when the president says so, but when they believe the conditions have been met.
