Several thousand activists from across Serbia joined student-led protests in the southwestern town of Novi Pazar on Sunday, voicing anger over what they describe as growing government pressure on state universities.
The protest marked the first major student demonstration in Novi Pazar, a town with a Bosniak Muslim majority. It is part of a wider nationwide movement opposing political interference in higher education and public institutions.
The demonstrations are linked to protests that began after the collapse of a railway station roof in Novi Sad last year, an incident that killed 16 people and triggered public outrage across the country.
Students from Novi Pazar had earlier drawn national attention after walking for several days to join mass protests in Novi Sad on November 1, marking the first anniversary of the tragedy. They now say the university administration has punished those involved in protests by revoking student status and dismissing lecturers.
One protester, Momcilo Zelenbaba, who travelled from Jagodina, said hundreds of students had lost their academic status and dozens of professors their jobs. He said the measures were meant to silence dissent.
Protesters are demanding the resignation of the university’s managing board and the appointment of interim leadership, followed by the election of a new rector. They say the steps are necessary to protect academic freedom and ensure the survival of the university.
During the day-long protest, participants held a moment of silence for the victims of the Novi Sad roof collapse. They waved flags of their hometowns and universities, blew whistles, and chanted slogans calling for accountability.
The protest movement, led by students, academics, and opposition figures, accuses Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and his ruling party of corruption, weak public services, nepotism, and restrictions on media freedom. Vucic and his party have repeatedly rejected these allegations.
Novi Pazar is Serbia’s youngest town by population, with around 60 per cent of residents under the age of 30. Despite its distinct ethnic and religious identity, the town has remained peaceful, with no reported clashes with neighbouring communities since the breakup of Yugoslavia more than three decades ago.
