The lack of response from European Union leaders to student protests in Serbia raises eyebrows and appears cowardly, as the Union fails to uphold the values it espouses in Ukraine, argues Tony Barber, editor of the Financial Times’ European section, in his article titled “Europe’s illiberal tough guy sits on a volcano of public discontent.”

Barber questions the EU’s silence, suggesting it may relate to the agreement signed last year allowing Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić to utilize Serbian lithium for electric car batteries. He observes that many oppose this agreement on environmental grounds.

The support for the Serbian students’ protest includes notable figures like tennis star Novak Djokovic and American singer Madonna.

Barber draws a comparison between the political movements in Europe and the ongoing student protests in Serbia, describing them as among the largest in Europe since those that began in France in 1968.

“While the rise of the hard right threatens liberal democracies is frequently a topic in Europe, young Serbian protesters demonstrate that corrupt and repressive regimes are vulnerable,” Barber notes, adding that similar protests are emerging in Slovakia against illiberal Prime Minister Robert Fico.

He likens the student unrest in Serbia to the anti-corruption demonstrations that occurred in Bulgaria in 2013.

As the Serbian protesters strive to maintain their momentum, they face difficult choices. Although polls indicate they have public support, they wish to distance themselves from the mainstream political opposition, which they view as compromised by association with a corrupt political system.

Barber emphasizes the students’ collective decision to remain leaderless, suggesting that “there is no Serbian Lech Walesa, leader of Poland’s Solidarity movement, nor a Serbian Vaclav Havel, the Czech dissident of that era.”

“If they aim to push Vučić out, the protesters must set aside their fears, collaborate with the opposition, and identify a credible alternative to the president,” Barber states.

He points out Vučić’s advantages, including control over key state powers like the secret police, judiciary, and media, along with the fact that a significant segment of society is reliant on the Serbian Progressive Party, which acts more as a patronage system than a true political movement.

However, the students also possess advantages in their fight: “One being that the majority of the protesters are young enough to have known no other Serbian leader except Vučić. Their desire for change is intense. Another advantage is that they rally under the Serbian flag, appealing to national pride.”

“Students carry none of the guilt felt by older, liberal Serbs who remember the crimes committed by (Slobodan) Milosevic in the Yugoslav wars,” adds the Financial Times’ European section editor.

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