BELGRADE – On Tuesday, 31 March, members of the Criminal Police Directorate (UKP) of the Serbian Ministry of Interior searched the premises of the headquarters of the University of Belgrade. This has prompted the protests of students and citizens in front of the University. Last night, they were addressed from a balcony by University Rector Vladan Đokić, who accused the government of attempting to humiliate and intimidate members of this institution.
University of Belgrade, alongside other universities in Serbia, has been at the centre of protests against the ruling party following the November 2024 Novi Sad tragedies. Student blockades of the universities lasted from late 2024 to mid-2025. Even after they were finished, the student movement remained a political actor, emerging as the main challenger of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).
Rector of the Belgrade University Vladan Đokić supported the demands of the students for justice for the Novi Sad victims early on and is viewed as a potential candidate on the parliamentary list that the student movement intends to nominate. He has been facing an intense smear campaign from the pro-government media for the past year.
UKP searched the building of the rectorate, having previously searched the premises of the Faculty of Philosophy on 27 March. On the night of 26 March, the body of a 25-year-old student was found in front of the Faculty of Philosophy, with police estimating that she had fallen from one of the faculty windows.
Pro-SNS tabloids, including the most influential mouthpiece Informer, immediately accused the students active in the protest movement of somehow causing the death of the student. So far, nobody has been charged with any crime, and there is no proof that anybody was with the student when she fell.
Nevertheless, the ruling party and its media allies immediately accused Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy, Danijel Sinani and rector Đokić of being responsible for the death of the student. Sinani and Đokić offered full cooperation of the University in determining the circumstances in which the student died.
The Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade ordered the police to search the Faculty of Philosophy on 27 March and the University headquarters on 31 March. The director of the police announced that numerous items were seized, including pyrotechnics allegedly belonging to the members of the student movement, who continue to meet at the faculties.
No connection was made, however, from the uncovering of these items to the death of the student.
The search operations on both days were covered live by Informer and other pro-SNS media, who apparently were receiving information about the process from sources within the police.
On 31 March, the student movement called the citizens to protest in front of the University against the police search. At one point during the evening, they were addressed from the balcony by rector Đokić, who was met with the approval of the crowd.
Đokić: They did not come to investigate, they came to humiliate
In his speech, rector Đokić accused the police of arriving at the rectorate on 31 March without prior announcement and “without a clear legal justification”.
“They didn’t come to investigate. They came to humiliate. They came to tell every professor, every student, every citizen: see what happens to those who don’t stay silent”, Đokić said.
He reiterated that the University offered its full cooperation in uncovering the tragic death of a student on 26 March.
“What we got instated was a televised police raid”, he said.
Đokić added that the police seized computers, camera receivers and documentation, which, according to him, do not contain any information regarding the case being investigated. He also reminded of the Novi Sad railway station collapse in 2024, which triggered the ongoing protest movement.
“Sixteen people died in Novi Sad. No one was held accountable. No one was removed from office. Not a single receiver was confiscated. Not a single office was searched. But when the rector stands with the students, that’s when the police arrive”, Đokić said.
He also called on the international community to react.
“I call on universities across Europe, the European Commission, the European Parliament, and everyone who believes in academic freedom to speak out. Today it’s Belgrade. Tomorrow it could be any other university in Europe that dares to stand with its students”, Đokić said.
Vučić: They don’t care about that child, they have their own political interests
Speaking shortly after rector Đokić’s address for Informer television, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, accused protesters of violence and of showing no empathy for the student who died tragically.
“For them, it’s just a minor incident. They don’t care about that child, and they have their own political interests. In the end, as usual, we saw violence. People need to know: this is proof that this is the end of it all. There are only a few of them left – just extremists who only want to fight – but Serbia has managed to overcome this as well”, Vučić said.
He said that the speech of rector Đokić was “against the constitution” and an instrument of his political ambition.
“By the end of the year, there will be elections – maybe even by Vidovdan (28 June) – we’ll see when exactly. There’s nothing complicated about it: whatever the people say, that’s how it will be”, Vučić said.
The student movement demanded an early parliamentary election in May 2025, but the ruling party refused to call it. Legal deadline for the next presidential election is in April 2027, and December 2027 for the next parliamentary election.
Last night, Speaker of the Serbian parliament Ana Brnabić posted on X a video of protesters clashing with the police, tagging EU Delegation to Serbia, EU Ambassador to Serbia and Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, urging them to condemn “the violent protests in Belgrade and the attacks on Serbian police”.
“The rule of law should be respected equally by all. If scenes like these were taking place on the streets of Brussels, the police would act without hesitation to restore order, and such an unregistered protest would be dispersed within minutes”, Brnabić wrote.
