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Protesters rallied outside the headquarters of the University of
Belgrade on what was a national day of education. The peaceful
gathering, dubbed “Knowledge is power," was in support of scores
of professors and teachers who have lost their jobs or positions
for taking part in the anti-government demonstrations.
“No government in our history has treated members of the
academic community with such arrogance, vengeance and malice and
only because the academic community refused to be silent,”
Vladan Djokic, the head dean of the university, told the crowd.
The student-led demonstrations were sparked by the collapse in
the northern city of Novi Sad of a concrete railway station
canopy that killed 16 people in November 2024. Many Serbs blamed
the disaster on an alleged corruption-fueled disregard for
safety rules during renovation work on the building.
The national protests have become the most sustained and
numerous in Serbia for years, drawing hundreds of thousands of
people. Vucic has refused to schedule an immediate early
election as protesters have demanded but has stepped up pressure
on protesters instead.
The Belgrade rally came days after riot police evicted
protesting students from a faculty building in Novi Sad in a
demonstration of force against possible attempts to renew
university strikes. Dozens of police pushed their way into the
faculty building and forced the students out, some of whom
accused the police of violence.
Djokic also cited financial and legal pressure from the
government on universities as well as frequent attacks on
protesting professors and students, who are described by
officials and pro-government media as “terrorists.”
He urged his colleagues to “resist the pressure and preserve the
dignity of our profession through personal example.”
Earlier on Tuesday, several faculties in Belgrade suspended
classes for the day in protest.
Serbia has faced international criticism over reports of
excessive force and arbitrary detentions of protesters. Vucic is
formally seeking European Union entry for Serbia while
strengthening ties with Russia and China amid accusations of
clamping down on democratic freedoms.
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