"The situation is very difficult. There are arrests every day." Study at UNIRSM are afraid to leave their faculties - out of fear," warns the rector Vladan Djokic in an interview with the German Spiegel and adds that the police recently appeared in front Faculty of Law, and that entering the campus is permitted by law only in exceptional cases.
The Rector reminds that in his speech at that time he offered public support to the students.
According to him, the police are reacting more and more harshly because the protests in Serbia, despite the summer break, are not losing their intensity.
"Students and citizens are intensifying the pressure, including roadblocks. Riots are breaking out," says Đokić and emphasizes that the government is applying increasingly harsh measures because of this.
The demands have become radicalized.
The reason for the protests was the tragedy in Novi Sad, when it collapsed canopy Railway station and 16 people died on that occasion. Then the students demanded clarification of the case and the fight against corruption, but after several months of peaceful gatherings, the demands became radicalized.
"They realized that the government was not ready to respond to their demands. Now they have come to the conclusion that this can only be achieved through new elections," Djokic says.
Although the students previously believed that fair elections were not possible under the current conditions, they now plan to form their own list, which, according to the rector, would include people who have never been in politics - "professors, musicians, athletes and other representatives of civil society." Such a list, as he points out, is not intended as a party, but as an attempt to reform the system and ensure the conditions for free and fair elections.
Đokić openly supports the students, because, as he says, they are fighting for basic democratic principles and the future of the country. "Many of my colleagues and I support them, because they demand nothing less than functional institutions and want to live in a true democracy. They are the future of our country."
Why is he negotiating with the prime minister?
Because of his support for the protests, the rector found himself targeted by the government and pro-government media. There are several criminal proceedings against him, and he is accused of abuse of position and discrimination against students due to the suspension of classes during the blockades.
"Every day we are attacked by the pro-government press, and by the government itself. They call us anarchists, enemies of the state and terrorists," Đokić told SPIEGEL, stressing that there is also financial pressure through salary cuts and fines.
Despite this, the rector spoke on several occasions with Prime Minister Đuro Macuta, a close associate of President Vučić.
"As rector, it is my duty to meet with the prime minister," he explains, adding that they negotiated enrollment for the next year and organizing online classes so students could finish the school year.
Source: Spiegel
