BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Thousands of protesters braved a rainstorm in the Serbian capital on Friday to join a rally against a government crackdown on universities that have played a key role in months-long anti-corruption protests that continue to pressure the Balkan country’s populist government.
The protesters gathered outside the Serbian government building in downtown Belgrade demanding that the authorities revoke measures brought so far against protesting university professors and deans, and abolish plans to change education laws they say would scrap the autonomy of the state-run universities.
University students, backed by their professors, have led massive protests that started after a concrete canopy collapsed at a train station in Serbia’s north in November, killing 16 people. Many in Serbia blamed the tragedy on alleged widespread government corruption that they say fueled negligence and flawed work on the station building renovation.
The populist government of President Aleksandar Vucic has accused the students and university professors of allegedly working for unspecified Western powers to oust the government and “destroy” Serbia. Vucic formally wants Serbia to join the EU but critics say he has stifled democratic freedoms while boosting ties with China and Russia.
Vucic has so far dismissed a student demand for an early election as the way out of a months-long political crisis.
Serbia’s protesting universities across four main cities on Thursday received support from the EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas who met with student representatives and said afterwards that “the autonomy of the universities must be respected.”
The government has cut salaries for the protesting professors and threatened to defund state-run faculties where classes have been suspended for six months. Authorities are also reportedly working on a new law that professors say would pave the way for the government to appoint faculty deans, effectively abolishing university autonomy.
Vladan Djokic, the head dean of Belgrade University, has been questioned by police and accused of abusing his position. Student protesters, meanwhile, have faced attacks by pro-government loyalists and pressure from police and state security.
“Authorities have shown that they are ready to destroy higher education in Serbia in order to stay in power,” sociology professor Marija Babovic told the crowd. “Higher education and universities are now more endangered than ever in recent history.”
Serbia’s protesting students have been seeking accountability for the deaths of 16 people in Novi Sad on Nov. 1 and the respect of the rule of law in Serbia. With their call for justice, the students have garnered huge support, drawing hundreds of thousands of people to their protests and shaking Vucic’s tight grip on power.
