Thousands rally in Serbia as students continue fight against corruption

As university students who have organized more than a year of massive demonstrations pledged to fight endemic corruption while right-wing nationalist President Aleksandar Vucic is in office, thousands of people have gathered in Novi Sad.

The government was accused of widespread corruption by protesters who chanted “thieves.” On Saturday, university students announced their intention to end corruption in Serbia and restore the rule of law. As the first steps toward a post-Vucic government, they suggested excluding corrupt officials from politics and conducting a wealth investigation.

What victory will mean was the title of the protest. Students reported that they had collected about 400,000 signatures last month to back their election campaign.

According to organizers, the next protest rally is scheduled for January 27 in Belgrade, Serbia’s capital.

Since a train station disaster in Serbia in November 2024, which has since become a symbol of enshrined corruption, regular student protests have taken hold.

Goran Vesic, a former construction minister, and other people were charged in a criminal case involving the collapse. Due to a lack of evidence, the Novi Sad High Court dropped Vesic’s charges last month.

A separate anticorruption investigation and an EU-backed investigation into possible misuse of EU funds are ongoing.

In Novi Sad, thousands of people observed 16 minutes of silence for the 16 victims of the tragedy’s first anniversary, which was observed on November 1st.

The prime minister resigned, his government fell, and a new one was formed as a result of the protests over the station’s collapse. Vucic has remained in office defiantly, though.

Vucic has consistently referred to demonstrators as foreign-funded coup plotters, while members of his SNS party have pushed conspiracy theories, claiming that the train station roof collapse may have been the result of an intentional attack.

Students’ demands for an immediate early election have been met with resistance from Vucic. Numerous people have reported losing their jobs, facing harassment, or being arrested for opposing the government.

More than ten years ago, Vucic, who promised to integrate Serbia into the EU, took office. He has since bolstered ties with Russia and China, but he is accused of stifling Serbia’s democratic freedoms and allowing corruption and organized crime to flourish.