Students from universities across Serbia staged a mass protest in front of the state broadcaster, Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS), bne IntelliNews reported.
The protesters blocked movement in the centre of Belgrade and interrupted the evening news broadcast of RTS on Thursday. The student protests are part of a wider wave of dissent sweeping Serbia following the Novi Sad train station collapse on 1 November. The tragedy killed 15 people and seriously injured two others.
The students accused the government of corruption, mismanagement and failure to address systemic challenges revealed by the disaster. By late afternoon, the demonstrators grew louder in an attempt to disrupt the 19:30 news programme. The students claimed that RTS had failed to provide fair coverage of their protests and alleged that the broadcaster was spreading misinformation about their activities.
On 8 December, several farmers’ associations met in Badovinci in the west of the country to announce their intention to join the protests, expressing solidarity with the students and others.
The farmers express their full support to the students and their demands, as well as to all dissatisfied citizens who demand the government’s responsibility.
University blockades spread across Serbia, with more than 40 state faculties halting work. President Aleksandar Vučić tried to quell the unrest by promising to fulfil all student demands and calling for a halt to the protests. He also announced a 20-per-cent increase in funding for higher education institutions by 2025 on Thursday.
Key demands of the protesters included the publication of documents related to the reconstruction of the train station, which Vučić promised to do on 11 December, as well as the release of detained protesters. With farmers and other movement groups joining in, the coming weeks are likely to test the government’s ability to deal with public discontent.
