In front of the Consulate General of Serbia in Chicago, a gathering of diaspora support for Serbian students has just concluded, where our people living and working in America were called upon to actively join the campaign for the upcoming elections.
A letter from the students was read to those present, in which the diaspora is called upon to check whether they possess valid personal documents (identity cards and passports) and whether they are registered in the voter lists, so that they can, when the time comes, actively participate in the elections.
“The death of 16 of our fellow citizens at the Railway Station in Novi Sad was not a tragedy, but a crime resulting from decades of deep-rooted corruption. Systemic corruption is not a foreign concept to you; for many of you, it was the primary motive to seek a better future outside the borders of your own country,” the students addressed the diaspora, then continued:
“In that November of 2024, the students of Serbia decided that we will no longer live at the mercy of the worst among us. In the past year and a half, we have blocked faculties and stopped our own lives so that we as a society could live normally.
We have walked thousands of kilometers, knocked on thousands of doors, organized gatherings with over 100 thousand people, led successful campaigns in Serbian cities, in Kula, Kosjerić, Aranđelovac…
In this way, we positioned the Student Movement as the greatest political force in Serbia and showed that change has never been closer.
And elections are approaching for us, in which we will run with our own list; for us, they represent the path toward the realization of our demands and the general recovery of our society. We have offered and will offer citizens a true alternative to the regime, based on a vision of a better and fairer Serbia.
Just as the timing of the gathering is not a coincidence, neither is the day. Today, May 9th, on the Day of Victory over Fascism, we send the message that victory is not a matter of the past. Victory is a decision and a responsibility. Victory is the moment when we stopped saying nothing can be done and started doing everything we can.
And we can do a lot.
We can do even more with your help, and that is why we say: The diaspora decides, the students win!” says the letter from the students, which was read to the gathered crowd by Antonije Kovačević.
MESSAGE: This is what the protesters left on the Consulate’s mailbox
“Diaspora, this time you carry a special responsibility. Serbia does not belong to those who captured, divided, and humiliated it. Serbia belongs to the citizens, the youth, and the students. Because the state—that is all of us!
Your support means immeasurably much to us; it represented a driver and motivation for us when we were exhausted. Even more important than support will be your participation.
Elections are not won by emotion, but by organization. Today, each of us must leave here with a clear task:
1.) check if you have a valid identity card or passport and if you are registered in the voter list,
2.) as soon as the elections are called, follow the instructions of the embassy or consulate and submit a request to vote abroad.
3.) register your family, friends, colleagues..
To those who wonder if it makes sense—answer clearly that it does make sense!
Perhaps their vote is exactly one of those that decides a mandate and changes history! It is time for organization!
Form teams and follow official information, make lists of interested voters, call people, organize transport. Help the elderly and those who fear bureaucracy and think their vote is not worth it.
It is precisely on those beliefs that an autocratic regime sustains itself!
We are looking for what is most dangerous for a regime based on fear—mass mobilization, turnout, and citizens aware of their powers. Victory over authoritarianism begins when people free themselves from the feeling of helplessness! The students have done it. We showed that we will not be the generation that waits for history to happen to it, but the one that creates history,” the students said.
The organizers of the gathering announced that they will soon inform citizens about the legal procedures for checking voter lists and registering on them, and that they will demand transparency and respect for the law from the Serbian Consulate.
According to tradition, the gathering began with 16 minutes of silence in honor of those killed at the Railway Station in Novi Sad, but after that, the following message was sent:
“Until now, we have mourned the victims of the regime peacefully and in silence, and now the time has come to overthrow that regime and avenge its victims, and to do so in the most civilized and democratic way possible—at the elections!”
The organizers promised that they will soon inform the public about future plans and gatherings.