site.btaMasked Men Break Serbian University Blockade, Protests Escalate

A group of some twenty masked men stormed the state university building in Novi Pazar (Southwest Serbia), which had been occupied by students, Radio Free Europe’s Serbian service said on Tuesday. The men entered the building, shouting warnings of a fire and ordering everyone to evacuate, before forcing the students out.

The students said that academic autonomy had been violated and demanded the immediate resignation of the university’s rector Zhanna Dolichanin and the Education Minister. They called for a full and independent investigation, implying for possible involvement of police structures.

A group of citizens supporting the student blockade gathered in an impromptu protest in front of the university building in Novi Pazar, demanding accountability for those involved and the dismissal of Dolichanin. RTS reported that protesters began throwing water bottles at the police cordon guarding the protest. 

Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic said that authorities had entered the university and established control smoothly, without any issues. She emphasized that the intervention was carried out at the request of the university leadership and that the institution’s autonomy was fully upheld.

Since late November 2024, students have been blocking the operations of more than 60 faculties across the country.

Students occupying the Belgrade Medical School since December 2024 reported being removed by police on July 23, a day after officers cleared out another group from the Belgrade Student Cultural Center.

The student-led protests, sparked by the deaths of 16 people in the November 1, 2024 Novi Sad railway station incident, call for political accountability and early elections, posing the biggest challenge yet to President Vucic’s leadership.