On November 1, 2024, in the second largest city of Serbia, Novi Sad, a newly renovated train station collapsed, killing 15 people and injuring two. A week later, the public demanded that the government release the documents and hold the responsible parties accountable for using cheap and unsafe construction methods to save money.
The government, however, allegedly decided that they would not release all of the information publicly, and would hide the responsible ones. This led to the anger of the citizens, and mostly the students of the drama and art schools.
The students of art schools made the first moves by blocking the roads for 15 minutes, in honor of the 15 people who had tragically died in the accident. It all went peacefully until a group of vandals, allegedly hired by the “Serbian Progressive Party” (SNS), were sent with baseball bats to hunt down and break the 15 minutes of silence.
This not only angered the citizens of Serbia, but has also caused a much larger problem.
In the next three days, the students occupied the schools, many workers proclaimed strikes, and Serbia came to a standstill. Protests started spreading like wildfire, and in a span of a few months, 200 cities have been actively having protests.
One of the largest protests happened in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, March 16, 2025, and some sources state that there were up to 600,000 people who attended the rally. This is only one protest out of many, and it looks like the protests will continue.
The Suppression of the People’s Voices
In response to these protests, the government made efforts to suppress the protests and make the people of Serbia quiet. They tried all kinds of things, including the use of what appears to be sonic weapons that use sound to harm the opponents. It is capable of destroying eardrums.
There are rumors that SNS is offering people money to stand by their side. One of the well-known restaurant chains, Walter, got “bombed” by bad reviews, since they have stood on the side of SNS.
Sources say social media is also being used as another attempt to crush the opposition. Many accounts, seemingly bot accounts, were posting many things about how good a government SNS is, and also to spread rumors about students being anarchists who want to destroy Serbian peace and stability. However, it is fairly easy to tell if the account is a bot one or not, since data analysts suggested that all of them were made on the same day.
Additionally, SNS is organising counter-protests, where the president makes people come and support them in the hope that it will help the student protest slow and calm down.
Thoughts and Feelings of the AISB Community
A few students and faculty members at AISB are aware of the current situation in Serbia.
Nine students responded to a survey conducted by The Bite, and the data from the survey revealed that fewer students are aware of current events than those who are familiar.
Students were additionally asked to comment on the statements made by a high-ranking official of SNS Vladimir Ðukanović, when he said: “Children are property of the state until they reach the age of majority.”
Grade 9 student Dana A., in response to this statement, says, “Children are useless to politicians. They cannot vote, so those kinds of people disregard them, not needing to make advertisements to them. I found it unacceptable, though, since it shows a true disregard for the people and instead the need to be in power and ignore real issues for the sake of personal gain.”
Grade 12 student Uros J., a Serb, notes that the “conflict is continuing, and many people, especially Serbians, are nervously […] waiting for the outcome of the protests.”
This is not a fight for voice, but for freedom and independence as well. The fight between the government and the people continues, and it is a question of whether the conflict is going to spread elsewhere.
Grade 12 student Uros J.
What is Going to Happen Next in Serbia?
Based on the history and the spirit of the Serbian people, it is only reasonable to assume that these protests will not end soon. This is a major change, as the people of Serbia are finally standing up to the corrupt system and the government.
If you would like to actively follow the happenings in Serbia today and from now on, I recommend N1, the most well-trusted and unbiased Serbian source of news. Additionally, I recommend Al Jazeera because it is a very well-worded, trusted source that has a lot of information about the current events happening in Serbia.