University Dean: Protesting Students Have Brought Out General Yearning for Justice and Dignity

Belgrade University Rectorate (BetaPhoto/Milos Miskov)

According to Vladan Djokic, the dean of the University in Belgrade, Serbia is “witnessing the birth of a university student movement which has brought out the desire shared by a large number of people to rally around values such as solidarity, empathy, justice, dignity [and] perseverance.”

“Such a movement does not pose a threat to society. To the contrary, it is an alternative to the dominant patterns of interest-based assembly, and is only happening in our society,” Djokic told the latest edition of the NIN weekly.

The dean underlined that the University in Belgrade is duty-bound to protect student interests, to safeguard its own trustworthiness and to substantiate its role in society.

“That is why we’ve dedicated ourselves to activities promoting the fulfillment of the students’ demands. [Insisting that] communications with public institutions entail requests for urgent responses and concrete measures which would ensure the fulfillment of the demands and provide evidence of said fulfillment,” Djokic explained.

Asked about the regime’s insinuations that outside powers are the true source of the university students’ protests, the dean said that such statements are unacceptable and endanger the students’’ safety as well as their right to free thought and organized assembly against social occurrences they oppose.