Students to Continue Protests on New Year’s Eve in Belgrade

Student protest (BETAPHOTO/MILAN ILIC)

Students from several Belgrade universities have announced a new rally on Dec. 31 under the slogan, There is No New Year - You Still Owe Us for the Old One.

According to posts on the Instagram accounts of the schools of architecture, mathematics, chemistry, and agriculture, the gathering will begin at 10:30 p.m. in Pioneer Park near the Parliament of Serbia. At 11 p.m., the protesters will begin a march to Student Square, with the marchers making as much noise as they can and carrying lights. The protest will conclude at 11:52 p.m. with 15 minutes of silence in tribute to the victims of a recent roof collapse at Novi Sad’s central train station that had just undergone a major overhaul.

After the 15 minutes of silence, student performances will take place until 1 a.m. The students recalled that during the student protests of 1996/1997, on the evening of Dec. 31, a gathering was organized in downtown Belgrade, which, according to available data, was attended by half a million students and citizens.

"Due to New Year’s celebrations and numerous holidays, the student blockades are at risk of losing substance in the coming month. We cannot allow this. We must not send the message to the world that holidays and celebrations are more important to students than the fight for justice," the statement reads. While the whole world celebrates, students want to show that "there is no reason to celebrate in this country, not before justice wins."