General strike 'grips' Serbia, action also in North Mitrovica

A general strike is being held across Serbia on Friday.

In this action, citizens have been invited by students, who have been blocking faculties for more than two months, demanding criminal and political responsibility for the deaths of 15 people from the collapse of a shelter at the Railway Station in Novi Sad, on November 1.

A general strike or "general civil disobedience," as students call it, means a complete cessation of work and any other daily activity, such as going to shops or restaurants, cinemas, theaters, and more.

The students have suggested to employees who fear their employers' reaction, "to take days off, take sick leave or donate blood."

More than 200 companies have previously confirmed that they will suspend operations in solidarity with the students.

Support for the students has been offered by numerous public figures, actors, singers, athletes, media workers, as well as individuals from other professions, such as lawyers, judges, prosecutors, doctors, educators, as well as opposition politicians in Serbia.

On the same day that the general strike is taking place, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić is organizing a rally in Jagodina - a city in central Serbia - at which the "Movement for the People and the State" is expected to be formed.

This movement, as he said, will be open to everyone, regardless of party affiliation.

Its focus, according to him, will be the future of Serbia.

"This rally is not against anyone, but a rally to unite all smart and normal people in Serbia," Vučić wrote on his Instagram account.

Authorities in Serbia claim that foreign intelligence services are involved in organizing the student protests and that there are "foreign mercenaries" among the students.

According to them, this is proven by the fact that the student blockades do not stop, even though their demands have been met - which is rejected by the students.

The students' demands for an end to the blockades include the publication of full documentation for the reconstruction of the Novi Sad Railway Station, to determine responsibility for the accident of November 1, 2024.

They also demand that the attackers of demonstrators across Serbia, during the protests that followed the accident, be identified and face criminal responsibility.

The demands also include the release of activists arrested during the protests, the suspension of criminal proceedings against them, and an increase in the budget for universities.

Fifteen minutes of silence also in North Mitrovica

Meanwhile, 15 minutes of silence were held in many cities across Serbia today to honor the 15 victims of Novi Sad.

The same action, with several dozen citizens, was also held in North Mitrovica - a municipality inhabited by a Serb majority in the northern part of Kosovo.

Srdjan Djordjevic, who called for this action to be held as a sign of solidarity with students in Serbia, said that in these circumstances in Kosovo "it is not easy to express an opinion, stance or solidarity."

"Despite this, we are here today," he said.

The 15-minute silence action was held in front of the Faculty of Philosophy in North Mitrovica, which operates within the University of Serbia.

Before the start of the action, this faculty distanced itself from its organization, while the Student Parliament called on students in Serbia to distance themselves from supporting Kosovo's Prime Minister, Albin Kurti.

"He who supported you is killing us and expelling us," the statement says, among other things.

It emphasizes that students in Kosovo need "Serbia to be strong and stable politically and economically - a country with strong institutions under the rule of law, which has understanding and friends in both the East and the West."

However, some students of the Faculty of Philosophy in North Mitrovica have distanced themselves from this statement, saying that the Student Parliament has not met in any session and that the published statement is "shameful and malicious."

Otherwise, the High Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad has filed an indictment against 13 people in connection with the deadly collapse of the shelter at the city's Railway Station./ REL (A2 Televizion)