A student-led protest movement in Serbia drew more than 100,000 people to a massive peaceful demonstration in the capital city of Belgrade on Saturday. The rally, which was the largest outpouring of public discontent in decades, defied President Aleksandar Vucic’s warnings that protesters were planning violent attacks.
The protests began in November after 15 people were killed by the collapse of a concrete canopy at a railway station. Students and opposition politicians have blamed the tragedy on shoddy work by contractors tied to corrupt officials. The rally, which began outside Parliament and engulfed the city center, passed without major incident despite fears that government forces would deploy war veterans or soccer hooligans to beat protesters.
President Vucic described the rally as a “large protest with enormous negative energy toward the authorities.” He said 56 people had been injured, none seriously, and praised his security services for foiling what he said had been plans for violence. However, he also acknowledged that citizens “do not want color revolutions” and vowed to change himself in response to the protests.
The protests have spread across Serbia, reaching into towns that voted heavily for Vucic in past elections. Students and opposition politicians have demanded a range of changes, including the prosecution of those responsible for the tragedy and the dismissal of ministers who oversaw the renovation project.
The crisis in Serbia poses a dilemma for the Biden administration, which had previously sought to woo Vucic away from Russia’s orbit. The Trump administration has shown no sign of tilting away from Vucic, despite criticism from opposition politicians.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/15/world/europe/serbia-protest-president-vucic.html