On November 1, the canopy of the main railway station in Novi Sad, Serbia’s second-largest city, collapsed, resulting in the deaths of 16 people and injuries to several others. The tragic incident has triggered ongoing nationwide protests, led primarily by student groups, demanding transparency and accountability from those responsible. Authorities have described the cause of the collapse as “unknown,” further fuelling public frustration.
The Novi Sad railway station, originally built in 1964, underwent a major renovation between 2021 and 2024. The collapsed canopy was reportedly part of this recent reconstruction, raising serious concerns about the quality and oversight of the work carried out. Local media outlets have requested access to renovation documentation, but these have been denied — a refusal that has deepened public suspicion. Critics point to a broader lack of transparency and cite endemic corruption as a possible underlying cause.
Vučić’s Authoritarian Rule Sparks Nationwide Uprising
Aleksandar Vučić has been Serbia’s president since 2017, but his political rise began in the early 1990s with the ultranationalist Serbian Radical Party (SRS). As Minister of Information in 1998, he suppressed media freedom, silencing dissent and consolidating control. In 2008, Vučić co-founded the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), which remains in power today and has overseen a regression in Serbia’s democracy. Elections under his rule have become more like an oligarchic spectacle, undermining democratic principles.
The December 2023 parliamentary elections, which saw another win for Vučić and SNS, were condemned by international observers for voter manipulation, sparking further public outrage. This unrest intensified after the deadly collapse of the Novi Sad railway station canopy on November 1, 2024, triggering protests. A student tribute in Belgrade was violently interrupted, leading to university shutdowns and widespread demonstrations demanding accountability. Despite government efforts to block access, over 300,000 protesters gathered in Belgrade on 15 March 2025, and the authorities used an illegal sound cannon to disperse the crowd. The protests continue, with farmers and students leading the charge, as the Novi Sad tragedy becomes a symbol of Serbia’s broader governance crisis.
The people of Serbia are frustrated with their authoritarian regime. A revolution has hit the country.
Inter-Class Struggle for Democracy
Serbia’s current protest movement has brought together students and all social classes in a struggle for democracy. Achieving this solidarity was no small feat—student groups travelled on foot or by bike to remote villages, countering pro-government media narratives that labelled them as “foreign agents.” Their efforts paid off, as they stood together at the protest on March 15. Farmers, once loyal to the Vučić regime, blocked roads with their tractors. They are there to ensure the safety of the students and bring their own demands: The government has failed to uphold their promised subsidies and refunds for agriculture, effectively threatening their livelihoods. The working class has joined as well. On May 1—Labour Day—all five major labour unions allied for the first time to protest in front of the government building alongside the students.
The student movement continues to demonstrate extraordinary resilience and creativity. Some groups are undertaking a 1,950-kilometre run from Novi Sad to Brussels, dubbed “Track to Brussels,” while others have already arrived there by bike to deliver letters to European institutions. Along the way, citizens across Europe have offered support—food, shelter, and medical care. Rejecting centralised leadership, the movement embraces a collective identity: a revolution not led by one spokesperson, but by and for the people themselves.
Democracy in Crisis and the Nationalist Divide
While Serbia’s protest movement has united people across social classes, it has also attracted far-right and nationalist factions. Demonstrators at the protest included ultra-nationalist groups, such as veterans from the 63rd Parachute Brigade, who were implicated in the killing of 400 Albanian civilians during the Yugoslav wars. Some protesters have worn shirts bearing the faces of convicted war criminals or flown flags linked to fascist collaboration, signaling the presence of extreme ideological elements. Observers—particularly from Bosnia, a country that endured severe atrocities during the Yugoslav wars—have raised concerns that these elements are not fighting for a democratic Serbia, but for an authoritarian and ethnically charged vision of national power.
The movement is visibly characterised by nationalist rhetoric. Despite Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence, which is recognised by over 100 countries, the student-led movement ‘Studenti u blokadi’ used maps that include Kosovo as part of Serbia for posters that read “Kosovo is Serbia”. While demands for justice and transparency may drive the protests, the undercurrent of nationalism reveals the complexities and contradictions within Serbia’s civil unrest.
The Complex Reality of Serbia’s Protests
Western media often portray Serbia’s protests as a youth-led, pro-democracy movement, but the reality is more complex. While many demand reform, far-right and nationalist factions have also joined The presence of groups like the 63rd Parachute Brigade, implicated in past atrocities, has raised concerns—especially in Bosnia, which endured much of that violence—about the movement’s deeper currents.
Serbia’s political landscape is marked by deep institutional decay, fuelled by corruption, controlled media, and growing distrust in the rule of law. A 2024 CRTA report revealed that major television outlets consistently portray the EU negatively, while they glorify Russia and China -reflecting the government’s alignment with pro-Russian narratives. However, young people, especially students, remain largely pro-European. 39% support EU integration, although many express frustrations with the EU’s passive stance toward Vučić’s abuses of power, according to a poll from March 2025.
Students have become the backbone of the protest movement—by organising demonstrations, andcreating grassroots support systems, such as legal aid groups and community kitchens. Sparked by the fatal collapse of the Novi Sad railway station, the protests have grown into a broader fight for civil rights, accountability, and democratic renewal. From silent tributes to mass mobilisations across over 160 cities, the movement is marked by strategic resilience, self-organisation, and an unwavering demand to reclaim public space from state control.
New Political Future
The mass student protests in Serbia are a bold and unprecedented challenge to authoritarianism, corruption, and institutional decay. Far from being a fleeting outburst, they mark the rise of a new political generation—one that refuses to accept apathy, cynicism, or the normalisation of repression. Serbian students are not only demanding justice and democratic reforms; they are building a new political culture rooted in solidarity, radical transparency, and civic care. What happens next will depend in part on the state’s response, but also on whether national and international actors acknowledge the significance of the current moment. Student groups have taken a central role in organizing and sustaining the protests. In a political landscape long dominated by entrenched elites, younger generations are emerging as key drivers of mobilization. Whether their efforts will lead to lasting change may depend on how institutions and political leaders respond.
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