Novi Sad, Serbia / 29.10.2025
Activists from the Bravo Civic Movement faced repeated police harassment after hanging posters with the symbol of a bloody fist at the “Big Fashion” shopping center, formerly known as “Promenada,” in Novi Sad.
The posters, placed on glass barriers near escalators across multiple floors, carried the message “Your hands are bloody”, a symbol adopted in the wake of the tragic collapse of the canopy at the Novi Sad Railway Station on November 1 last year, which claimed the lives of 16 people.
Video footage shared by the movement on social media shows police quickly arriving at the scene to identify the activists. One activist, Brajan Brković, told Autonomija that his colleague was stopped on the Boulevard of Liberation, had his car searched, and was issued a report.
“The police registered all of us after the action, but the prosecutor said that there were no elements for either a misdemeanor or a criminal charge, after which they let us go,” Brković said.
Despite this, after leaving and heading to the movement’s offices in the city center, activists were intercepted again by two police cars and two jeeps, marking the third legitimization in a row.
The repeated targeting of civic activists for peaceful protest underscores growing concerns about authoritarian measures under the government of President Aleksandar Vučić. The intimidation of citizens exercising their right to free expression and protest demonstrates the regime’s unwillingness to tolerate dissent or accountability for past tragedies.
Observers say this incident reflects a broader pattern of political repression in Serbia, where civil society and activist voices are increasingly under pressure. The Bravo movement’s symbolic protest against governmental negligence and the ongoing impunity for catastrophic events highlights the urgent need for democratic accountability and protection of civic freedoms.
