Protest in Belgrade, Friday, Jan.17 2025 (BETAPHOTO/Milos Miškov,)
A student protest was held in downtown Belgrade on Jan. 17, in front of the Serbian Broadcasting Corporation (RTS) building, where the protesters voiced their discontent with the station's reporting.
The protest was organized a day after a driver struck and severely injured a student in Belgrade during a commemoration rally for 15 people killed in Vojvodina’s capital of Novi Sad when an outdoor canopy at the recently renovated central train station collapsed. Starting at around 6:30 p.m., protesters demanded “live coverage" by RTS, blew whistles and made noise to express their dissatisfaction with the way that the station, which is financed by all of Serbia's citizens, reports.
The protesters chanted, "You will not trample on us!" "Come out!" and "Let us go live!" carrying banners reading: "Build prisons, you can’t all fit in," "Silence is unserbian," and "There are humans and non-humans. Students are humans. What about you?"
Since the university blockades began, students have demanded political and criminal accountability for the Novi Sad tragedy and that those who attacked students, academics and citizens during protests be prosecuted. The Archive of Public Gatherings estimated attendance at between 53,000 and 55,000 people, while the pro-government media reported there were from 10,000 to 15,000 protesters.
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