From the moment the demolition of the Old Sava Bridge was announced, a group of the most persistent activists has been guarding it. They have been camping on the bridge for two and a half months. How they endure the cold winter nights and why they don't give up
The sidewalk at the corner of Karađorđeva and Woodrow Wilson is covered in a thin layer of ice that makes walking on the street an almost impossible mission. It's slippery everywhere. It's about minus three degrees outside. It's night.
On the right, you can see something that looks like a scene from some post-apocalyptic series. The ruins of the old Bus Station take on a spooky touch at this late hour. Hills made of bricks, pieces of wall, boards and the occasional giant garbage bag replaced the BAS.
On the edge Old Sava bridge three flags are flying: Serbian, white flag with the slogan "The bridge remains” and the most memorable one with the message “You will not destroy, be Zarić”.
"Be careful how you walk when you go out, everything is frozen," shouts one of the activists to a man coming out of the tent for a shower break.
"We have to tell the others in the Viber group later to be careful," he replies.
It is surprisingly warm in the tent. In the middle of the improvised living room, there is a gas bottle that saves the activists from the harsh cold. Several wooden chairs are lined up around the bottle, and across from it is a large couch.
Although far from comfortable, the tent is in quite decent condition. On the sides, the tent wings are covered with battery-operated lights, so that it is not pitch black.
They're strong enough, one of the guards quips, except for reading. Then more light is needed.
There is enough food, and when something is lacking, there are many people who are very happy to cover the shortage with various donations. So recently an elderly lady with her grandson brought a bunch of pancakes and various sweet spreads.
Epicenter of local rebellion
Vojislav Mladenović is one of the bridge guards who is a regular at the camp. It has been there since the first day, that is, since the night of October 29, when the activists, due to the announcement that the city authorities are planning to start demolishing the bridge, set up their points on it.
"I read an article in the newspaper and that was enough for me to come and help." When I first came, there was a small canopy and a lot of people with the desire to defend the bridge. Their energy kept me going," says Vojislav.
More than two months have passed since then. Vojislav says that the motivation of the people who come to help save this construction from demolition has not decreased.
Among them is Marin, who saw the rebellion on the Old Sava bridge as the only point of resistance in Belgrade.
"People were ready to defend this bridge and the identity of Belgrade." When I came here, I met many people similar to me, who cannot remain silent about injustice", says Marin.
Guarding the bridge, he made new acquaintances and friendships. The atmosphere, he says, is always nice and people who want to spend quality free time there, in addition to offering support, keep coming.
"Over time, we have become a meeting point for all the burning points that this regime wants to destroy in Belgrade, which are part of the city's identity and cultural monuments." Various people gather here, who don't care only about the bridge. They want to fight for both the General Staff and Hotel Yugoslavia".
In the meantime, there were mass student blockades in Belgrade, but also at faculties throughout Serbia. The bridge is now just another point of resistance, but also a symbol of the activists' perseverance and unity.
"The local struggle is very important. People need to have some gathering point, which is part of their daily life. "Between 15 and 20 percent of Belgrade's traffic crossed over this bridge, Dušegupkas from the camp at Sajmište to Jajinci, and soldiers who went to the Srem front to defeat the Germans also crossed," recalls Marin.
Why do the authorities want to demolish the bridge?
Stari Savski is one of the three bridges in the center of Belgrade that thousands of people used every day.
The city authorities announced the removal of the structure a few years ago, but opposition politicians and some experts opposed it, arguing that there is no legal act to demolish the bridge built in the 1940s.
Despite the opposition, on November 20, the removal of parts of the bridge began, with the assistance of the police.
The city authorities previously announced that the Old Sava Bridge is being demolished due to the 'Small Metro' project and that a new one will be built in its place.
Representatives of the initiative "The Bridge Remains" say that Belgrade has not adopted a new General Urban Plan, and according to the one valid from 2016, the removal of any bridge over the Sava River was not foreseen.
"The bridge was rebuilt ten years ago, and the current authorities deliberately let it fall into disrepair. I think they already had a plan of what they were going to do then. Then the government's propaganda media, such as Informer, claimed that the bridge was dangerous and in bad shape," Marin explains.
Vojislav explains that the damage to the bridge is far less serious than the city authorities say. The bridge only needed to be renovated with quality, because all the damage is superficial.
Two pictures of Belgrade
The old Sava bridge was saved from demolition more than 70 years ago by teacher Miladin Zarić.
Seeing that the Germans were preparing to detonate, he decided to react and demine the bridge himself on October 20, 1944. This act of an ordinary man who was not part of the active military formations allowed the liberators to cross the river and deal more quickly with the occupiers and their collaborators.
Now, when this construction has become a thorn in the side of the city authorities and an obstacle to their megalomaniac urban projects, the bridge has its guards again.
One of them is Ana Marković, who spent her whole life in an apartment in the immediate vicinity of the Old Sava Bridge. For her, this construction on the border of Old and New Belgrade is an important part of her memories.
"When I compare Belgrade then and now, it is difficult for me. When I'm in a hurry somewhere and I'm thinking about where to go, I have a picture of the street I'm going to take in my head. And then when I go out, I see that a lot of things have been changed or destroyed. At night, there are no more sounds of trams that used to go over the bridge for years", says Ana.
During this time, the night shift begins. It's getting quieter in the tent. Some are still drinking tea and some are scrolling the news on their phones. They talk about what they will do in the morning and who will take over the shift.
"There needs to be at least two of us in a shift, and when there is an emergency, two hundred people gather if necessary or if there are any disturbances." Although, it is mostly peaceful".
In the snow, rain and minus, there are always at least two guards in the tent. Because someone always has to watch the bridge.
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