Students rally thousands of Serbs, demand early elections

Thousands of Serbs gathered in Kraljevo on St. Vitus Day for an anti-government demonstration initiated by students. The protesters renewed their calls for early parliamentary elections and criticized the authorities' handling of the aftermath of a disaster at the Novi Sad train station. The event was held under the slogan, "On St. Vitus Day, everything will come to light."

“

On St. Vitus Day, everything will come to light.

St. Vitus Day, a religious and national holiday commemorating a 14th-century battle, also saw a government-organized rally in Belgrade led by President Aleksandar Vučić. During his speech, Vučić announced he would soon step down to focus on campaigning for early parliamentary elections, which are reportedly planned for the autumn.

Students have been mobilizing government opponents in Serbia for over a year, with accelerated elections as their primary demand following the November 1, 2024, tragedy in Novi Sad. In that incident, a section of the train station roof collapsed, killing 16 people. Demonstrators accuse the authorities of corruption and negligence, which they believe led to the accident.

“

I will soon step down and focus on the campaign for early parliamentary elections.

During the Kraljevo rally, academics, including representatives of the Serbian minority from Kosovo, students, and war veterans addressed the crowd. One speaker, a war veteran, described "repression from the authorities" against those supporting the student protests. He detailed experiences of arrest, searches, detention, media vilification, and job loss.

“

We were arrested, searched, detained, subjected to media lynching, and sent controls. Some of us lost our jobs.

Speeches also focused on the situation of Serbs in Kosovo, a former Serbian province that declared independence in 2008, unrecognized by Belgrade. Milena Petrović from the University of Priština's Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics stated that the authorities in Serbia and Kosovo are pursuing their own interests at the expense of ordinary residents. She argued that this approach hinders the mutual respect, recognition, and acceptance between the Serbian and Albanian populations, which are essential for lasting peace in Kosovo.

“

This approach does not foster mutual respect, recognition, and acceptance between the Serbian and Albanian populations, which are a necessary condition for lasting peace in Kosovo.