For two days, citizens poured into Belgrade for the largest protest in modern Serbian history. This occurred despite authorities’ efforts to obstruct the demonstrations by halting public transportation.
Thousands of students walked into the capital, spreading messages of solidarity through smaller towns along the way. The city’s streets were packed, with people occupying several key locations.
“I came for my child, for my son, so that his future can be better,” a young man told DW.
Police estimated a peak turnout of 107,000. Arhiv javnih skupova (Archive of Public Gatherings), an NGO which tracks mass gatherings, reported between 275,000 and 325,000 demonstrators — possibly more.
A broader fight against systemic corruption
The protest was initially organized by students, who have been blockading most state universities for over three months. Professors, teachers, health care workers, lawyers, IT professionals, war veterans, bikers and farmers supported the students’ call — the farmers arriving on tractors.
“We’re here to support these brave young people, people who just want to live in a country where the rule of law works, nothing more,” an elderly protester said.
The students primarily demand accountability for the canopy collapse at the Novi Sad railway station in northern Serbia that killed 15 people in November.
However, the broader public outrage over systemic corruption is directed toward the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and President Aleksandar Vucic. Protesters accuse Vucic of consolidating power and dismantling institutions.
“This is a rare moment where the whole of Serbia is united under one cause. Even if the country doesn’t change after this, we’ll know that we stood up together and made our voices heard,” a young man said at the protest in Belgrade.
“Since this started, something has already shifted: a change in collective awareness. It’s not enough, but it’s a fantastic start,” added a young woman.
Inside the Belgrade protest near Parliament
Despite fears of violence and predictions of storming public buildings, most incidents were isolated. Serbian media reported 22 arrests and 56 injuries. The Interior Ministry acknowledged multiple brawls and attacks on police officers, attributing them to protesters attempting to provoke disorder.
The most intense standoff occurred between the Serbian Parliament building and the Novi Dvor, the president’s office. Pro-government counterprotesters, calling themselves “Students 2.0” or “Students who want to study,” had set up a camp guarded by tractors and police cordons. Rumors circulated that hooligans and former members of the disbanded Special Operations Unit (JSO), whose commanders were convicted of war crimes, were stationed within the camp, raising fears of provocations.
Student organizers relocated the main protest location to avoid clashes, but a group remained near the counterprotest camp. Tensions simmered throughout the day, with firecrackers, flares and loud bangs echoing, and both sides threw bottles and stones.
At one point, a group of protesters tried to dismantle the barricades around the Parliament building but were pushed back by police. Student marshals, wearing yellow vests, symbolically raised them in the air to indicate they no longer ensured the crowd’s safety, urging people to leave.
Panic while honoring Novi Sad victims
The most alarming moment occurred during a 15-minute silence to honor the victims of the station collapse. A loud, unexpected noise described by witnesses as resembling a projectile or crashing aircraft, caused panic and triggered a brief stampede. Videos on social media captured the crowd scattering in fear.
Dušan Simin, who was among the crowd, told DW that it “sounded like a plane was landing from the direction of the Presidency building.”
“We couldn’t run away from it — we didn’t know what to do. You don’t know if something will fall on your head or hit you from the side,” Simin said.
“People must have instinctively thought something was coming down the street, so they started running to the side, and we fell over each other. My wife hit her head on a lamppost. I watched her, but I couldn’t help. We still feel uneasy.”
He added that they planned to seek medical attention and that the incident has already been reported to the Belgrade Center for Human Rights, which has called on citizens to reach out if they need free legal assistance.
“We will seek justice because what they did is not normal,” Simin said.
Balkan news broadcaster N1 quoted military analyst Aleksandar Radic, who suggested an acoustic weapon, specifically a “sonic cannon” reportedly available to Serbian security forces, caused the sound. An opposition lawmaker echoed this claim, but police swiftly denied deploying any such device.
What comes next?
Political analyst Dusan Spasojevic described the protest as the largest since Serbia transitioned to parliamentary democracy. However, he noted a lack of political strategy, leaving the movement vulnerable to misdirection.
“It’s clear students aren’t sure how to intensify the protest from here. There were no clear announcements about what’s next. Meanwhile, some protesters stayed on the streets, wanting more, but without knowing what or how to achieve it,” Spasojevic told DW.
President Vucic expressed satisfaction with the protests in a press conference after the demonstrations and praised the security forces for preserving “peace and stability.”
“All people in power must understand the message when such a large number of people gather. We will have to change ourselves, and we will have to learn a lot,” he stated.
“On the other hand, I hope that some others have clearly understood the message from the majority of Serbia: that the citizens of Serbia do not want color revolutions, that the citizens of Serbia do not want violence, and that the citizens of Serbia want to change their government through elections.”
Spasojevic said that the president’s satisfaction with the protests is expected because he has had enough incidents to discuss, but just enough that his power remains unaffected.
As of now, students have not announced further actions, nor the operationalization of the general strike that was part of the protest plan revealed to the public before the protests. The only certainty is that the movement isn’t retreating. Protesters are left to find new ways to maintain pressure.
If it turns out that the authorities did indeed use a sound cannon against the citizens, Spasojevic said this could serve as an additional catalyst for the protests.
“That’s the kind of unnecessary overreach that fuels protests. Some people left disappointed, but they also left angrier than before, furious that illegal force might have been used against them. That could backfire on the authorities.”
Edited by: Davis VanOpdorp
