Before March 15th rally in Belgrade, students seek peace, authorities warn violence

Students point out that they are not violent and do not call for violence.

They have been blocking state universities since December and have led peaceful protests throughout Serbia.

Their main requirement is political and criminal responsibility for the deaths of 15 people from the collapse of a shelter at Novi Sad's Hekurudor Station on 1 November last year.

Now, they warn a major rally in Belgrade. And this gathering has become a topic of discussions by government representatives in Serbia several times.

In one of the last speeches, President Aleksandar Vuciq warned “violence” and “arrests”.

Without bringing any evidence or details, he said he expects the <x0 subcommittee to organise major violence on March 15th” and that “all those participating in it will be arrested”.

Professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Belgrade, Bojan Vrniq, says that “is not the first time Serbia's president predicts violence at certain events”.

It is not unusual to speculate exactly what will happen. Therefore, this prediction should be taken very seriously”, Vraniq says of Radio Free Europe.

Serbia's president's office did not answer the REL's question of which information Vuciq supports such claims and predictions.

I wouldn't be surprised if there were riots. I cannot pretend that they would be provoked artificially, because, unfortunately, authors [of riots during the protests] have not been discovered so far. Even if they were discovered, in general, we didn't have any situation in which we could find out why we were 48x1...

The student and citizens protest before Serbia's Assembly March 4th, 2025. Serbs from Kosovo warned that they will go to Belgrade to protect Serbia's” president, Aleksandar

What does March 15 mean for power?

According to the Serbian authorities' interpretation, the protest warned about March 15th in Belgrade is “Day D”.

Those who called for the rally did not consider that day any turning “ ” in protests and student blockades, which continue for months.

Massive gatherings organised by students in several large cities in Serbia have been peaceful.

In one of his speeches, a week before the announced rally, Vuciq said authorities “would call the end of” protests that day.

On March 10th, Vuciq also participated in a session of the Government of Serbia, in which, as he said, “has been discussed the general aspects of the March 15th” protest, but did not elaborate.

On the same day, he appeared on Radio Television of Serbia, where he predicted that “would become the most serious crimes against the Republic of Serbia”.

He also urged young people not to take part in violence” and warned them that some opposition representatives “wanted to use for their dirty political goals”.

Why the emphasis on opposition?

In addition to the government's statements of Serbia, opposition representatives in this country are not mentioned as protest organisers.

The rally in Belgrade was called by student protesters during a mass rally in Nis on March 2nd.

“Since then, members of the Serbian Progressive Party [in power], senior officials respectively, have been trying to form the protest as an opposition protest, linking it with a kind of effort for colored revolution, because this is the ground their voters understand”, says Professor Vraniq.

From charges of attempting “colour revolution” to calls for dialogue and threats of counterrevolution ʹ the authorities' stance in Serbia on student protests has changed in recent months.

Vraniq says that after a series of physical attacks against students in protests and blockades, “authorities have been in a passive phase” when it comes to their attitude towards academic rebellion.

There were also calls for negotiations with the academic community. But Vraniq believes this strategy has not had the desired effect.

“The students stood principled and said no, we have our demands, and when you fill out, protests and blockades will be stopped”, Vranic says.

That is why, over time, the Serbian Progressive Party “increasingly creates the impression that it is losing control of the” system, according to him.

The Serbian Progressive Party is someone who has full control, who knows what happens, someone who keeps naming things somehow... Here, let's say now that this is a <x1 colour revolution, adds Vranic.

Colored revolutions have been called protests that have overturned authoritarian regimes in former Soviet countries.

What does March 15 mean for student protesters?

Days before the rally, students from different parts of Serbia traveled to Belgrade.

Some of them even walk, traveling hundreds of miles.

One of them is Allexa Mikic, a student at Nis University. Commenting on authorities' predictions for March 15th, he says:

I think these are just provocations that will probably continue in the coming days. But, I believe we will resist and it will be a big gathering of”.

A few days before the protest, the informal group “Students in the blockade” said March 15th “should be a day Serbia will not forget”.

Be clear to all of us we won't stop, we won't let them ignore us, we won't let this day pass quietly. This is our moment. That's our voice. Let everyone know: on March 15th Serbia is in Belgrade”, students said.

“Imagine Serbia as a river flowing towards a goal ʹ every city, every village, let each road become its branch”, as it is said in their statement.

Tensions Before Gathering

Days before the rally were marked by tensions and incidents in Belgrade.

After the students' call, multiple-hour blockades of Serbia's Radio Television building (RTS) began on March 10th, in the centre of the city.

At one point, there was also “associated with the police. Serbia's Ministry of Internal Affairs later announced the injuries to a police officer.

Minister Ivica Dacic said police have not acted against demonstrators, but have been attacked.

But, as the Serbian news agency Beta reported, images published on social networks showed that police had attacked students and gathered citizens with sticks.

Meanwhile, during the March 8th protest, called by students, a police cordon banned farmers with tractors in New Belgrade, who were going to join the protest in the centre of the city.

Since the students and other citizens there did not want to continue without the farmers, the other meeting participants went from center to center.

Meanwhile, tractors withdrew, followed by police as the protest ended without incident.

Months of Protests in Serbia

Protests in Serbia began after the collapse of a shelter of Novi Sad's Novi Sad Railway Station on 1 November.

In this incident, 15 people died, and two others were seriously injured.

Belgrade-based nongovernmental organisation Public Rally Archives (AJS) announced on March 5th that, since then, protests have been held in 400 countries and cities in Serbia.

The only protest involving violence took place five days after the incident, November 5th in Novi Sad.

It was one of the largest gatherings ever held in that city.

The riots erupted when groups of men mostly wearing masks and hats threw stones and other items towards the municipal headquarters, while police responded with tear gas.

Other massive gatherings organised by students have so far been peaceful.

The students' first request is to publish all documentation for the reconstruction of the Novi Sad Railway Station to determine criminal and political responsibility for the tragedy.

Students also seek prosecution of strikers in protests, as well as suspension of criminal procedures against those arrested during the protests.

The government claims it has met all student demands, while a group of experts, formed by the Belgrade University Senate, deny it. / REL/