The skyrocketing price of apartments in Niš fueled suspicions that it is being deliberately made difficult for students and citizens to come to the March 1 protest. In response to the surge in prices, many Nišlians have launched an initiative for free accommodation, but claim that "government bots" and this gesture of solidarity are trying to sabotage it with fake bookings
New student protest will be held March 1st in Niš. Messages of support and offers of free accommodation for those who plan to visit the south of Serbia on that day are spreading widely on social networks. However, there are others who have skyrocketed the prices of accommodation in that city for the night between March 1 and 2.
Many cite as an example Dušan Milić, manager of the Niš Public Utility Company "Naisus" and owner of the "House of Mac" apartment. Users of social networks state that Milić raised the price from 1 euros to 42 euros on March 600, and that the condition is a minimum stay of two nights, writes N1.
Milić confirmed for the Nova.rs portal that he had increased the price of his apartment multiple times and added that it was his right.
"I don't know why I'm being targeted, when all restaurateurs do it." But it doesn't matter. That is my right. But I would like to mention that not a single student called me and asked for accommodation, but mostly companies that pay money for guests. This is not a political issue, how I am being called a SNS bot and so on, no. This is strictly a business question. "We met those reservations that were made through 'Airbnb' and we did not cancel any of them, as many did," explains Milić.
The owner of the apartment emphasized that the prices on Kopaonik are not the same in winter and summer, and that the price situation is changing even now.
"Friday and Saturday are the most expensive days, what used to be about a hundred euros for two people, is now much more." Prices varied from 500, 600, and even up to 1.000 euros. People will continue to cancel and increase prices, you will see," said Milić.
Intentional price "pumping"?
Dušan Milić is not the only apartment owner who has increased the price of the apartment many times over on March 1. Others followed in his footsteps, so in the apartment "Apel Lux" the day before the protest (February 28), a night's stay costs 280 euros, while a week later, on Saturday March 8, a night's stay costs 80 euros and up. It is similar in "Downtown rooms", where the night before the protest costs 245 euros, and the night next Friday costs 32 euros.
By the way, on "Buking", a site for finding accommodation, there are only two apartments available in Nis for March 1st. One is a studio apartment in which the water heater does not work, but, according to the owner, "everything else is fine", and it is rented out for around 9.000 dinars, and the price of other accommodation is similar. The very small offer of accommodation is extremely unusual for this site. The day before the protest, "Buking" offers eight options, while a day later there is a choice of as many as 313 apartment units on this site.
The astronomical price jump in some apartments, as well as the small offer on the Internet, led citizens to suspect that the prices are not dictated only by the law of supply and demand, but that there is a different motive behind everything - preventing overnight stays for those coming from other cities, and, therefore, discouraging people from coming to the protest.
Free accommodation and fake bookings
For this reason, on February 18, the people of Niš created the Facebook group "Protesti Niš March 1", which gathered over 24 members in just 12.000 hours. A chat was also created where those who offer free accommodation, food or can contribute in some other way as hosts on March 1 can contact us. So many now Niches offer their homes completely free of charge students coming from other cities.
The administrators of the group stated that everyone who offers accommodation can come forward and fill out the form, and that it will be forwarded to the blocked students when the plenum officially decides on the protest on March 1.
And here a catch appeared. Some organizers of free accommodation warned that government "bots", as they stated, are falsely booking such accommodation in order to take places for those who really want to participate in the protest.
"Attention: warn people on Facebook for accommodation that, after the act of sabotage with accommodation prices, a new action has appeared: they have created a lot of bot accounts that supposedly also ask for free accommodation, in order to occupy everything for people who would actually come to the blockade, and then, of course, cancel," states the warning shared by part of the university professors and students in the blockade.
It recommends that everyone who offers and organizes free accommodation be careful and "check the profiles of such", that is, whether there are pictures and posts of them related to the protest, and the like.
"If there are none, it should be an alarm," the warning said.
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