The longer the student and popular uprising lasts, the more the question arises whether the demands will become more "political" - say, a transitional government and fair elections. But the chances of interrooms and banter are also increasing, which are a sure recipe for the end of the protest
Serbian society hardly knows what successful people look like protests against the regime that has ruled the country for thirteen years.
Protests against lithium mines they had temporary and deceptive success. Some smaller ones - like when students refused to be kicked out of their homes during the pandemic - did succeed.
But that's just a footnote in a long list of failed protests, of one sort or another. That's why at least that lesson should have been learned - how to make protests fail.
So, namely, that everyone starts to pull to their side, that everything stretches and dissolves, and then the tinny ringing starts - this one won't deal with this, someone else is bothering that one. And then everyone goes home.
A lot has already been done.
Current student protests, which in terms of the mass of actions and gatherings in total probably surpass the riot around the Fifth of October, have achieved more than anyone could have hoped for a few months ago.
A wave of solidarity, the hope that students gave to the elderly that better generations are coming, overcoming fear... and more to come resignation of the Government, some ministers on the indictment - that's more than anything that happened in Serbia in thirteen years.
Now the question is where to go next. In fact, the question is whether it will go "further" at all, or whether the game will go the same, so who can stand it longer.
Students may think they can hold blockades until the government magically implodes on its own. But it's hard work that it will be like that.
They still explicitly distance themselves from political parties, activist groups, etc ProGlasa. At many faculties, it is increasingly being said that someone wants to "take over" the protests. Many students are angry because some of their colleagues made a list of speakers for the protest in Novi Sad without consulting everyone.
A turning point
As far as is known, there is no serious intention among the students to make the protests more "political", to demand a transitional government, for example. That, if it is already demanded that the institutions work, they should call on the supreme democratic institution - free and fair elections.
In that situation, People's Movement of Serbia he published a proposal for a transitional government. It's not a bad draft, but it won't serve anything because it's independently given by one of the numerous parties and because it wasn't agreed with the students first.
The same will pass, if there is one, and the proposal of ProGlas and anyone else.
And the students distance themselves from all of them and could see it as an attempt to "take over" and "co-opt". And so we go round and round.
In that ping-pong, there will be more and more disagreements and gossip, even among the students themselves, it's so human and natural. But at the same time (see above) it is a recipe for protests to fail.
Time is a category, it flows. Vučić knows this, so he plays on time. Whoever stood up for justice and institutions probably has the political literacy to recognize the moment when things break.
Either those who led the revolt will stop abhorring politics or things will remain as they were. That is, it will not be exactly the same as before - the solidarity and courage that have awakened will remain. And that will forever be the merit of this generation of students.
In the end, it turns out that the hole in Dr. Dragan Milić's window was made by a woodpecker. The only thing that is relevant at this moment is that there is a clear suspicion that he was shot at, that Vučić called the opposition champion in Nis pure evil and that the absence of his reaction is not normal
The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, finally started forming some kind of movement with some professors. Great, nobody knows them so they can't throw eggs at them
The progressive regime has become dangerous and a serious security risk for all citizens of the Republic of Serbia. That's how it should be treated
While the media and citizens find out new details every day and expose the government's lies, the prosecutor's office is dealing with the case of noise and stampede in Kralj Milan, apparently only in order to amnesty the regime
The Minister of Police is lying. Okay, that's not much of a surprise. But the entanglement of Ivica Dačić in the kitchen is more than simple lying
In the end, it turns out that the hole in Dr. Dragan Milić's window was made by a woodpecker. The only thing that is relevant at this moment is that there is a clear suspicion that he was shot at, that Vučić called the opposition champion in Nis pure evil and that the absence of his reaction is not normal
The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, finally started forming some kind of movement with some professors. Great, nobody knows them so they can't throw eggs at them
The progressive regime has become dangerous and a serious security risk for all citizens of the Republic of Serbia. That's how it should be treated
Belgrade, March 15, 2025: The largest protest rally in the history of Serbia
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