Biology student Marija Petrovic says that when she and her colleagues began protesting against the Serbian government after the roof collapse at the Novi Sad train station, which killed 15 people in November, they never imagined they would gain so much public support for a cause that has since prompted thousands of protesters to regularly fill the country's streets.
After the tragedy, there was little sign that the protesters, who were accusing the government of corruption and nepotism, would gain wider support.
"We didn't think we would have so much support, but people started joining us, we learned how to organize in our faculties and on the streets. The first moments were very different from what we are experiencing now, because we didn't believe that so many people would join us. But now on the streets we are seeing that what we are doing is very important, that people are agreeing with us and think that what we are doing is the right thing," says student Marija Petrovic.
Three months later, the demonstrations have grown into the largest protest movement in Serbia in years. The students, who are highly organized, have been joined by tens of thousands of teachers, lawyers and other workers, blocking highways and squares, triggering a political crisis.
"We put aside personal ideologies because what we are doing here is much more important. We are trying to make institutions functional. The country is burning right now, we cannot think about furniture when we are trying to stop the fire. We have neither the will nor the capacity to think that way. This has made me more tolerant of other people's worldviews, as long as they are fighting for the same goal," says Ms. Petrovic.
The government of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić denies responsibility for the tragedy as well as broader accusations about voter buying, restrictions on media freedom, violence against opponents and links to organized crime.
But Serbian Prime Minister Miloš Vučević and the ministers of construction and trade have resigned. That has not appeased protesters who say they are protesting against an autocratic regime.
Students protest every day, painting their hands red as a metaphor for, as they say, the government's bloody hands. Students are sleeping in university buildings and are being fed on donations. Classes have been suspended.
"For the last two months, we have been living together in our faculties, eating together, sleeping together, spending our days together. My experience is not more special or important than that of my peers. We are just the voice through which all our peers and colleagues speak. We act as a community, we have no leaders, no individuals. We believe that the community we are part of is much wiser and smarter than a single individual," says student Petrovic.
The message of the protests – that the government should carry out its duties honestly and that the demonstrations will not stop until this demand is met – is being strictly controlled.
Ms. Petrovic says the protesters have faced threats and physical attacks, but they have only strengthened their resolve. Their demands include the release of documents related to the collapse of the station roof, bringing those responsible to justice, dropping charges against the protesting students, and a higher budget for higher education. President Vučić says he has met these demands.
The students have not called for the overthrow of Serbian President Vučić. But their insistence has posed one of the biggest threats to the president's long-term rule, political analysts say.
The next protest is expected to be held on Saturday in Kragujevac, a rally that is expected to be the largest yet. VOA (A2 Televizion)
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