students from across serbia are arriving in kragujevac tonight to join the protest on statehood day, february 15. kragujevac, the first capital of modern serbia, is where the country’s first constitution was adopted. over the past few days, students have been walking and biking more than 100km in freezing temperatures. people greeted them with cheers in every town they passed[1,2,3,4]. the journey has been brutal, leaving many injured.
none of their demands have been met, and violence against them continues. the protests began after the collapse of a railway station canopy in novi sad on november 1, which killed 15 people and left 2 still fighting for their lives. just three weeks later, there was a violent attack against students at the faculty of dramatic arts, sparking a wave of university and high school blockades. soon, mass protests erupted across the country, with farmers, actors, lawyers, teachers (and the list goes on) joining the students in their fight against corruption.
the student demands are: the publication of the complete documentation related to the reconstruction of the railway station in novi sad, the publication of the findings of the investigation on those responsible for the attack against students of the faculty of dramatic arts and all later attacks, the immediate release of all citizens who had been detained during the non-violent protests, a withdrawal of all legally unfounded criminal and misdemeanor charges against citizens and a 20% increase in funds for state universities.
more information about the current political crisis in serbia can be found here.
♡
video by andjelajokovic @ instagram
