Note from LeftEast editors: At a time when we must keep our eyes wide open, the ongoing protests in Serbia demand urgent attention and support. Students and self-organized Serbian society are offering a powerful lesson in fighting for social justice, basic rights, and the true meaning of solidarity. Events are unfolding rapidly: tomorrow, March 15, 2025, a large protest is set to take place in Belgrade, where the Serbian president has openly threatened peaceful demonstrators with violence. In response to these threats and in firm opposition to violence and repression, we are publishing this article along with a call for solidarity.
If you wish to support this struggle, you can contribute by donating to the students here.
You can also stand in solidarity with those most affected: Serbian teachers and university professors who have courageously supported the students for months and are now facing illegal wage cuts as retaliation. This link to the donation platform (currently available only in the local language), managed by self-organized IT workers, provides background information and a channel to contact and directly support these teachers and professors.
In our efforts to support the movement and amplify the voices of resistance, we at LeftEast are republishing this article, originally published by Mašina on March 10, 2025, as part of our collaboration within ELMO—Eastern European Left Media Outlet.
Belgrade students will host peers from all over Serbia on March 15. Students, together with high school graduates, are traveling on foot and by bicycle to the big protest. While the students and pupils are walking towards Belgrade, the blockade at the Faculty of Organisational Sciences appeals to all citizens of Serbia to “weave threads of support into the great banner of resistance” with their actions.
“Every banner in a window, every poster in a shop, every message on a car – these are the sparks that ignite the flame of unity,” say the students of the faculty of Organisational Sciences, FON, and call on citizens to turn their homes, bars, streets, and neighborhoods into a “living mosaic of resistance.”
“This isn’t a mere symbolic action – it’s a sign that all of Serbia is awake, that every corner of the country is echoing with one voice,” the appeal concludes.
From Niš, on foot and on wheels
To reach the protest that will take place in Belgrade on March 15, cyclists will leave from Niš on Tuesday, March 11 at 9:00 a.m. to begin their journey to the Faculty of Electronic Engineering. A 320-kilometre-long road awaits them and will follow the route Niš – Kruševac – Čačak – Lazarevac – Belgrade.
Hikers making their way from Niš set off on March 9 from the Manasija monastery. 193 km and six days of hiking await them, with their route to Belgrade passing through Svilajnec, Požarevac, Smederevo, and Pančevo.
One incident reported by students from Subotica
On March 8, students set off from the blockade in Subotica to the general protest. Earlier today, they reached Novi Sad, from where they will continue to Belgrade with their peers.
As per the statement students shared on their social media, last night there was an incident in Stari Žednik when unknown persons tried to remove the banner “Stari Žednik stands with the students.” The students claim that two Škoda vehicles, with Belgrade plates and a vehicle with Elektrovojvodina marks, took part in the action. Thanks to the prompt intervention of those present, the attempt to remove the banner failed, and students released footage from the surveillance cameras on Instagram.
Donations for March 15
Collections of donations—from sleeping equipment to cutlery and crockery, from food and snacks to first aid kits—have begun across faculties in Belgrade. Students from the Faculty of Philosophy posted a complete list of the resources needed to host their peers for the big protest on March 15 on their Instagram account.
In addition, students from the faculty of Mechanical Engineering and from across the faculties of Technologies and Engineering have begun preparations ahead of hosting their peers travelling to Belgrade from across the country.
Students make suggestions for the next steps
Last night, a letter was published on the student blockades’ social media accounts calling on citizens across Serbia to mobilize and organize themselves into assemblies.
“All citizens, who according to the Constitution are irrevocable holders of sovereignty, should be included in the discussion and decision-making on the topic of the current crisis.” That is why we invite you to mobilize locally and self-organize independently, following the direct democracy model – namely through the body of citizens’ assemblies provided for by law. Those who care, ask questions and take action–and that is all of us. Everyone, join an assembly”, stated the statement of the students.
In their call, students state that what constitutes a plenum for them constitutes a collective gathering for citizens.
“However, due to the pronounced centralization and corruption of the system – local governments and their local communities tend to be neglected. The strength of the student movement lies in its direct democracy, which, unlike representative democracy, is not subject to manipulation and corruption,” the students said.
They remind us that the demands of the protest have yet to be met, which only adds to the pressure on institutions initially brought on by the demands.
They add that “everything they have achieved until now has been thanks to the principles of direct democracy and the use of plenums.”
“The plenum is an open forum for all members of a collective, where everyone equally proposes agenda items, discusses them, and makes decisions based on a simple majority vote.”
Is representative democracy in crisis?
Students state that “representative democracy is clearly unsuitable to tackle the decades-long socio-political crisis of our country,” adding, “Whereas, based on our experience so far, direct democracy stands a good chance. Answers to wider social and governance issues, which are currently being discussed, aren’t just a students’ concern, and they therefore cannot fall solely on our shoulders.”
Translated from Serbian by M.J.