Disrupted Silence: Serbia’s Student Movement and the Fight for Accountability

On March 15, 2025, Serbia experienced one of the largest protests in its recent history, drawing over 100,000 participants to Belgrade demanding accountability and systemic change following the tragic collapse of the Novi Sad railway station canopy in November 2024, which resulted in 16 fatalities. What began as silent vigils commemorating victims evolved into a significant student-led movement confronting governmental corruption, negligence, and the suppression of civil dissent.

University students have spearheaded widespread demonstrations, organizing large-scale rallies and daily blockades across Serbia, signaling a profound shift in public demands for reform. Despite governmental resignations – including Prime Minister Miloš Vučević – and pressure from international bodies such as the European Union, public dissatisfaction remains high. The movement’s intensity has been further amplified by public safety concerns, incidents of violence against protesters, and controversial claims of security forces employing sonic weapons. Moreover, scrutiny of Chinese infrastructure companies operating in Serbia under the Belt and Road Initiative highlights global dimensions of local governance crises.

This roundtable will explore critical questions: How have student mobilizations reshaped political engagement and civil society in Serbia? What implications do Serbia’s protests have for regional stability and cooperation? How do global dynamics, particularly foreign infrastructure investments, influence governance and accountability? And what role should international actors play in supporting democratic processes during times of civil unrest?

Speakers: Aleksandra Knežević, Philine Bickhardt, Linda Gusia, Armina Galijaš
Moderator: Mišo Kapetanović

Aleksandra Knežević is a doctoral candidate in anthropology at the University of Belgrade and a research associate at the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, focusing on critical science studies and feminist philosophy of science. Actively involved in the current protests, she is conducting ethnographic research on Serbia’s social mobilizations.

Philine Bickhardt is a research associate and doctoral candidate at the University of Zurich, specializing in documentary aesthetics within Slavic literatures and gender in literary canonization. She has conducted extensive research in Serbia, documenting the ongoing student-led protests.

Linda Gusia is a professor at the Department of Sociology, University of Prishtina, Kosovo. Her scholarship critically engages gender, nationalism, collective memory, and social movements. As Chairperson of Kosovo 2.0, she actively promotes critical journalism and social justice dialogue in the Western Balkans.

Armina Galijaš is a professor at the Centre for Southeast European Studies, University of Graz, specializing in nation-building, memory politics, identity, and democratization in post-socialist Yugoslavia. Her recent books critically analyze ethnopolitics in Bosnia and the discourse of the “Serbian World.”

Mišo Kapetanović (Moderator) is a cultural anthropologist affiliated with the Balkan Research Unit at the Institute for Habsburg and Balkan Studies, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna. His research intersects queer studies, migration, memory politics, and affect in Southeast Europe.