Bicycle Ride in Niš, Students Declare They Will Win

Students at the University of Niš, currently engaged in a blockade, have intensified their protest against the establishment of a new Faculty of Serbian Studies by organizing a cycling rally and pedestrian tours through the city center. The action, dubbed "Biciklijada," saw participants affixing "Students are winning" stickers and unfurling a banner with the same slogan in front of the Rectorate building.

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Students are winning, and the Faculty of Philosophy in Niš will win.

Aleksa Grozdanović, a history student and spokesperson for the protesters, declared that "Students are winning" and asserted that the Philosophy Faculty would prevail. His statement directly addresses the controversial decision to strip three departments from the Philosophy Faculty to form the new Serbian Studies Faculty. Grozdanović vehemently argued that the new institution is not a genuine center for nurturing national identity but rather a vehicle for "personal ambitions of individuals and the cultivation of corruption."

The students' message is clear: they are calling upon the University of Niš and other universities across Serbia to actively support their struggle to preserve the Philosophy Faculty. They believe the current authorities will eventually be held accountable for their decisions. This protest highlights a deep division within the academic community regarding the direction and governance of higher education in Serbia.

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The Faculty of Serbian Studies is not an institution for nurturing national identity, but rather serves the realization of personal goals of individuals and the cultivation of corruption.

From the perspective of these protesting students, the creation of the Faculty of Serbian Studies represents a politically motivated move that undermines academic integrity and serves the interests of a select few. They see it as a perversion of national identity, using it as a pretext for personal gain and corrupt practices. Their actions aim to rally broader support and pressure university administration and political figures to reconsider this decision, emphasizing that their fight is for the principles of academic freedom and genuine national scholarship.

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We call on the University of Niš, and universities in all other cities, to get maximally involved and provide support in the fight for the preservation of the Faculty of Philosophy.