Students Plan Belgrade Protest; Railway Traffic Halted
Translated from Serbian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- Students in Belgrade are organizing a protest at Slavija Square, expecting participants from across Serbia.
- Railway traffic nationwide has been suspended in anticipation of the event.
- The protest's core demand for early elections remains unfulfilled, despite ongoing public engagement activities by students.
Students in Belgrade are set to hold a significant gathering at Slavija Square today, with academics, activists, and citizens from various parts of Serbia expected to attend. The event is scheduled to run from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
In preparation for the protest, Srbijavoz, the national railway company, announced the suspension of all train services across the country. The demonstration will be preceded by smaller gatherings at four different locations within Belgrade. From these points, columns of participants will converge on Slavija Square just before the main event begins.
Organizers have also announced that a group called "ฤaฤanski front" plans to travel from Preljina, and activists from several towns in Western Serbia are coordinating their journey to join the students. Anticipated attendees hail from cities including Kruลกevac, Vrnjaฤka Banja, Raลกka, Kraljevo, ฤaฤak, Ivanjica, Uลพice, Valjevo, Poลพega, Kosjeriฤ, and Luฤani.
Meanwhile, the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia and the Association of Journalists of Serbia have stated their offices will be open to the media during the students' rally. The central demand of the students, calling for early elections, remains unaddressed by the authorities. While the President of Serbia occasionally mentions potential election dates, concrete action has not followed.
In parallel, students have been actively campaigning, distributing and displaying stickers with the slogan "Students Win," and producing merchandise such as hoodies, t-shirts, bags, and caps bearing the same message. Gatherings in Belgrade are planned at the Faculty of Agriculture in Zemun (1:00 PM - 4:00 PM), Republic Square, Autokomanda, and the Faculty of Law (2:00 PM - 5:00 PM). The Zemun contingent is scheduled to depart for Slavija Square at 4:00 PM, while those from Republic Square, Autokomanda, and the Faculty of Law will start their march at 5:00 PM.
Originally published by N1 Serbia in Serbian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.