On Tuesday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced that university professors who fail to fulfill their responsibilities will not be paid. He emphasized that the state has opted to stop rewarding those who do not contribute.

“Professors who engage in blockades and do not perform their duties will receive nothing. Tomorrow, I believe they will be receiving compensation in the form of potatoes,” Vučić stated on Pink television.

“Happiness has found its way into millions of homes in Serbia. The people refuse to let anyone steal from them,” he remarked.

For the past four months, students have been staging protests by blockading universities. Their primary demand is accountability for the tragic collapse of the concrete canopy at the renovated Novi Sad Railway Station that resulted in 15 deaths and two serious injuries.

Numerous professors have expressed support for the students and their cause.

Student-led protests in Serbia have now persisted for over four months. While the government asserts that the students’ demands have been addressed, the academic community disagrees and continues with the protests.

Investigations into the canopy’s collapse are underway. On December 30, the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Novi Sad issued indictments against 13 individuals suspected of negligence related to the reconstruction.

Among those indicted is former Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Goran Vesić, his assistant Anita Dimoski, and former director of “Infrastruktura Željeznice Srbije,” Jelena Tanasković.

The Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office (VJT) in Belgrade has also charged individuals for omissions that contributed to the canopy’s failure on November 1, which led to the tragic loss of 15 lives and serious injuries to two others.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime in Belgrade is conducting a pre-investigation regarding the financing of the renovation project for the Novi Sad Railway Station.

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