site.btaProtest Held in Belgrade against Demolition of Former Yugoslav Army General Staff Complex

A protest against the demolition of the former Yugoslav Army General Staff complex was held in Belgrade on Tuesday. The demonstration took place under the slogan “We Are a Living Wall”, with citizens, students and opposition representatives declaring that they “will not stand by and watch the destruction of this complex” and “the violation of the Constitution and the law”.

Protesters said they intend to physically defend the site, insisting that it must be preserved for future generations and regain its status as a cultural monument.

The issue is a sensitive one in Serbia, as the buildings were bombed several times in 1999 during the NATO air campaign, led by the United States, which aimed to end the Kosovo War (1998–1999).

The demonstrators observed 17 minutes of silence to honour the 16 victims of the collapse of the railway station canopy in Novi Sad and those killed in the bombing of the General Staff building.

Earlier in November, Serbian Parliament passed a special law allowing the authorities to open the site for construction. Plans to build a luxury hotel on the land in central Belgrade were announced in early 2024 by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.

The law was adopted following heated debates and earlier protests, again led by students, who oppose the plan to redevelop the emblematic General Staff complex, which was partially destroyed in the 1999 NATO bombings.