The Serbian War Veterans’ Association has announced that they have mobilized “more than 500 veterans” to participate in tomorrow’s student protest in Belgrade. They stated that these veterans will carry plastic tie-down straps and will conduct “citizens’ arrests of rioters” in accordance with the law.

In their announcement, they invited all veterans from the wars of the 1990s to join the event on Saturday in Belgrade.

“We have assembled over 500 veterans who will be strategically placed throughout the protest, carrying plastic tie-down straps. Should any provocateurs attempt to endanger others by throwing stones or wielding dangerous items, we will act according to the law by conducting a citizen’s arrest and turning the offenders over to the police,” the Serbian War Veterans’ Association stated.

They encouraged “all those contemplating riots to reconsider their intentions, as the provocateurs they associate with from criminal backgrounds could disrupt and tarnish the integrity of the student protests.”

“Having experienced the horrors of bloodshed, we hope reason will guide everyone involved, allowing the Saturday rally to proceed peacefully, just as all prior protests have,” expressed the war veterans.

The veterans plan to assemble tomorrow from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. in front of the monument with the observation tower from Kajmakčalan, near the Serbian Parliament, and will subsequently “coordinate with the student security service.”

Students have been blocking faculties across Serbia for three and a half months and are set to protest in front of the Serbian Parliament in Belgrade on March 15th.

The student blockades are primarily calling for criminal and political accountability regarding the deaths of 15 individuals in the collapse of a canopy at the Novi Sad Railway Station on November 1, 2024. Their efforts have garnered support from some educators who suspended classes, alongside lawyers, farmers, and cultural workers.

Mass protests and blockades have already been conducted in Novi Sad, Kragujevac, and Niš.

In the meantime, a group identifying itself as “Students 2.0” has been camped out in Belgrade’s Pionirski Park since March 6. They describe themselves as “students who want to learn” and are opposing the ongoing blockades.

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