A group of students demonstrating in Pionirski Park in Belgrade, advocating for the end of faculty blockades, announced their intention to remain until March 15, coinciding with a planned protest involving students and citizens, as stated today by Miloš Pavlović, a representative of the “Students 2.0” group.

Pavlović mentioned that their decision came after a meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić on March 13, where they deliberated on “every facet.”

“We, the students eager to study, will remain in Pionirski Park until further notice. We comprehend the sentiments of those suggesting we move on Saturday, and we respect the President’s views, but we ask you to understand us as well. Our presence here is legitimate and lawful,” expressed Pavlović.

During the meeting, President Vučić urged the representatives of the “Students 2.0” group to vacate Pionirski Park for just one day when the student and citizen protest takes place on March 15. They committed to providing a response within 24 hours.

In a press briefing at Pioneer Park, Miloš Pavlović extended an invitation to farmers to offer their support to students “who wish to learn.”

Earlier, media reports indicated that numerous tractors were stationed around Pioneer Park in the city center. However, Pavlović did not address the agricultural machinery near their camp during his media briefing.

In the days leading up to this, social media was abuzz with videos and images showing trucks transporting tractors from various regions in Serbia. One particular video from Kragujevac displayed a truck bearing the Belgrade City emblem—with no license plates—transporting several tractors.

The “Students 2.0” group has been camped in Pionirski Park since March 6. They identify as “students who wish to learn,” advocating for an end to the blockades. Their stance has garnered support from convicted war criminal Vladimir Lazarević, veterans of the Special Operations Unit, along with leaders of far-right organizations Leviathan and Serbian Right—Pavle Bihali and Miša Vacić.

Some members of the public have alleged that the Serbian Progressive Party orchestrated the protest, a claim that some participants in the park have contested.

Students who have been blockading faculties across Serbia for over three months have called for a protest in Belgrade on March 15. They have urged the Ministry of Internal Affairs to dismantle the “tent settlement” in Pionirski Park by March 14, preventing its reestablishment by March 16.

They have requested that the Ministry of Interior ensure top-level security, proposing a police cordon between the “tent settlement” and the protest participants on March 15, should the settlement not be dismantled, and declared that they would hold Minister of Interior Ivica Dačić responsible for any ensuing incidents.

The students in blockade are also demanding accountability for the deaths of 15 individuals in the collapse of a shelter at the Novi Sad Railway Station on November 1, 2024. Their cause has received backing from certain educators who suspended classes, among others, including lawyers, farmers, and cultural workers.

Mass protests and blockades have already taken place in Novi Sad, Kragujevac, and Niš.

News