Social-Democratic Perspective on Serbia’s Growing Protest Movement

Last Saturday, March 15, the largest (student) protests in Serbia to date took place, with more than 300,000 people attending. The demand for President Vučić's resignation has so far not been met, but the pressure on the president is increasing. Not much of the European Union is evident in the protests. Partially about this, the FMS spoke with Konstantin Samovalof on February 12. Mr. Samofalov is an ex-member of the Serbian parliament and currently international secretary of the Freedom and Justice Party (SSP) in Serbia. Together we discussed the situation in Serbia following the collapse of the canopy in Novi Sad, which killed 15 people and led to massive protests. Konstantin told us about the government's response, the role of the European Union and how he sees the protests going.  

What is the current situation in Serbia right now? 

It has been several months since the collapse of the canopy. The event was not just an incident, but it was the consequence of massive corruption in Serbia and wrongdoings by the government. The people of Serbia have created a massive uprising, led by the students. What we are witnessing for weeks now, is that these protests have spread throughout the entire country. Even in rural areas, where the current government is more popular, people are protesting and blocking streets. Nothing like this has happened in Serbia since the fall of dictatorial system of Milošević in 2000.  

How did the government deal with collapse of canopy?  

President Vučić is giving himself authority that he, constitutionally seen, does not have. He changes his statements on a daily basis. He first stated that there was no construction done on the canopy at all. Then relevant info became public, and it turned out to be the completely opposite. This was the beginning of the attempts of the president to cover it up. Afterwards we saw his statements and those of his government, saying that all data about the collapse was available, but in the meantime it was not. The government started to release minor information and each time they told the public that it was all the documentation they had. The students are responding to the actions of the president, by telling him “You don't have the authority; it is not your business. We are addressing the government, the ministries, public enterprises, the judicial system, not you.” Nevertheless, he is the one coming out and providing the public with information.  

What was the reaction of the government on the protests? 

The strategy of the government was to frighten and threaten the students, but it worked in the opposite direction, because the numbers of protests and participants increased significantly. The main reason why this strategy is not working, is because the students have a different mindset. Unlike some previous generations, who were thinking of their future and their solution was to leave and move to an EU country, this generation does not want to leave. This is a serious problem for Vučić, because he cannot kick the students out of Serbia.  

Why are these protests so successful?  

In Serbia, we are not measuring these protests as a success or not, because it is a genuine reaction from the people demanding normality and a normal functioning state. We have had lots of different protests over the years, for example against election rigging and the mass shooting in 2024, which were led by different structures such as opposition parties and different organizations. Now, it turns out that this canopy collapse is a sublimation of all the wrong doings by the ruling party, and this time, the students for once, had enough. They responded which such a high degree of social consciousness that most people from older generations did not expect. They assumed they were apolitical and did not have a clue what’s going on around them. The trigger that led to the massive protests was the reaction and violence by para-security structures of the ruling party. They were engaged in beating up and running over protesters, which made the whole glass spill over. Attacking our kids made everybody angry.  

What is the role of opposition parties in these protests? 

There are multiple roles we play. In the protests, we, not only my party, but all opposition parties, are taking part as citizens. We are also offering legal support to citizens, so not only to students, but everyone that has been under attack by the political system. In addition, we are working very hard with our international partners to try and bridge the media darkness we have in Serbia. The channels of communication that we have, are the channels that only political parties can maintain. There is almost no free media in the country, and we try to make our partners in Europe aware of what is going on here. Therefore, foreign partnerships are very valuable to us. 

What is the role of the European Union? 

We faced different approaches from the different institutions of the European Union. Unfortunately, the European Commission (EC) as well as some members of the Council, as it has been the case for many years, have been quite silent on the damage the regime is inflicting on the Serbian society. Some of them even supported the government, which is very discouraging for pro-European voters in Serbia. The most recent statements by the Enlargement commissioner for example, have been very weak. A few days ago, she wrote a letter to the Serbian public, which did not deal with the real problems we have in Serbia and consisted of multiple vague statements.  

On the other hand, we witnessed a positive engagement of the European Parliament (EP). The EP held a debate about the political crisis in Serbia, on the first day of the plenary session in Strasbourg. All MEP’s engaged in the debate, which were from all across the political spectrum, spoke almost in the same voice. 

Is there any trust from the Serbian citizens in the EU? 

The trust in the EU, is at its lowest for many years. It is very discouraging at the moment, and it is a direct consequence of the reaction of the Union on the protests. The reason why the polls show a low form of trust, is because EU officials are still supporting the current president and the government, and that makes pro EU voters confused. It can even make them turn their backs on the EU. The good news about this situation, is that a lot of people feel undecided. They are confused by the European messages; however, their hearts and minds can be warmed back. Yet, it cannot be warmed back just through some statements, the support from the EU has to be genuine. It has to send a clear message that Europe wants Serbia as a free and democratic state, like it wishes for Serbia everything that every single member state has for themselves. 

What should the European Union do? 

Right now, what the students are demanding from the government of Serbia, is what the European Union (EU) should demand from Serbia as a candidate member state, like independent judiciary and accountability of the government. What we would expect from the EU and all member states, is that they call what is going on in Serbia by its true name. What we need to have clear statements from the European Commission and clear stance on what is going on in Serbia. When there are reactions towards autocratic tendencies and election rigging in some EU member states like in Romania, they cannot be silent on what is going on in Serbia.  

The Commission is gambling with the support from this younger generation. This young generation is already disappointed with this ambiguous position. And if they continue as they are doing right now, they will lose the support from the young generation. It will be very hard for pro-European political forces to communicate the message about European values. If the EU stands aside and continues to be silent about these shady deals with China, there are other global players that are more than eager to step up in the Balkans and Southeast Europe in general. Serbia is a central country geographically, which makes it interesting for other global players to move Serbia away from EU towards. This is going to be very harmful to Serbia, the region and ultimately for the EU.  

What do you think will happen next? 

Where we are directed to, is hard to say. The government is applying repressive methods, and we have to see how repressive they will become in the days ahead. If president Vučić acknowledges to himself that he should step down, then this society can find a solution. There are many different actors thinking about many different solutions, which is good because now we are including society and the population, which have not been part of it for years. We will have to think about how to carve Serbian society differently. As a society we need to change the rules of the game. Hopefully with help from the EU, together with a clear perspective and clear standards in the enlargement process. We would like to have partners, such as the EU, in making Serbia a normal society. It has to be acknowledged that Serbia in its current state, is not a normal society. Thanks to these protests, there is no way back.