Students blockading faculties in Novi Sad, together with citizens, organized an action this morning called “Morning Warm-up” in front of the faculty building. When Dean Patrik Drid appeared wanting to enter the faculty, the gathered people prevented him. The dean then appeared with the intervention unit, and shortly before noon the situation became tense, as clashes occurred between citizens and the police.

Initially, the police appeared at the scene, Drid spoke with plainclothes officers, after which the intervention unit and then the gendarmerie arrived. The gathered people used their bodies to prevent the blockade from being broken.

Around 11 a.m., the gendarmerie in full demonstration gear began using shields to push back students and citizens who were standing at the faculty entrance, from two sides. Members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs did not succeed in breaking the blockade in the first attempt, and the gathered citizens called on the police to lower their shields and show that they are with the people.

The police and gendarmerie threw tear gas at the gathered people and pushed the crowd away from the entrance. Batons were also used. According to our journalist, one female student was injured, and one man was detained.

Around 12:30 p.m., the police broke down the doors and began removing barricades, and the dean exited through the back door while the crowd ran after him, pouring water on him and throwing eggs.

The gendarmerie pulled Dean Drid out of the ambulance that the gathered students and citizens did not want to let pass. The gendarmerie formed a cordon through which the dean passed and escorted him further into Stražilovska Street.

Half an hour later, the police withdrew, and the citizens remained to protest.

Open letter from the Faculty of Sport and Physical Education teachers

A group of teachers from the Faculty of Sport and Physical Education of the University of Novi Sad sent an open letter to the public.

We are transmitting it in its entirety:

We, the undersigned teachers, most strongly condemn the police violence against our students and citizens and call on the competent authorities to determine responsibility for the inappropriate use of force against peaceful protesters and to prosecute the responsible persons.

Prof. Dr. Višnja Đorđić
Prof. Dr. Tatjana Tubić
Prof. Dr. Sergej Ostojić
Prof. Dr. Marko Stojanović
Prof. Dr. Slavko Molnar
Prof. Dr. Mladen Mikić
Prof. Dr. Damjan Jakšić
Prof. Dr. Radenko Matić
Asst. Prof. Dr. Valdemar Štajer
Asst. Prof. Dr. Darinka Korovljev
Asst. Prof. Dr. Jovan Vuković
Asst. Prof. Dr. Lidija Marković

This is the first time since the beginning of the student protests that an attempt has been made to break the blockade with the use of police force. It is certainly also the first time in the history of the University of Novi Sad that a dean has come with a police cordon to his students.

The Dean of the Faculty of Sport and Physical Education previously stated that he was prevented from entering his workplace and therefore exercised his legal right to call the police. According to him, a meeting was supposed to be held today to compare the data of the faculty administration and the students in blockade, in order to find out who has the majority – those who want to study or those who want the blockade to continue.

The security brought by the dean stated that the students are not holding them hostage and that they can leave whenever they want. The police said that the reason for entering the Faculty of Sport and Physical Education was that students inside were holding some people hostage.

Citizens and students stood at the faculty entrance this morning, and Drid was greeted with a barrage of whistles.

Drid told the media that he came to work as before.

“I didn’t announce my arrival, I come to work normally every day. We started with online classes, most students have finished them and now want to take exams. The blockaders today are not allowing us to enter the faculty building, these are not our students but activists,” said Drid.

Regarding the student plenum, the dean said it was “a bubble that burst.” “And even if it existed, theoretically, you know very well that the plenum consists of 50 percent plus one. That’s 700 and something students, they never gathered more than 220 people. At most plenums, the decision was made by seven to 20 people,” he stated.

He also said that he is not going against his students, but that he must provide conditions for those who want to take exams. “From the beginning, I have nothing against the protests, but I am against the blockade,” the dean emphasized.

As a reminder, Drid tried to break the student blockade on Friday, April 25th, when, accompanied by unknown persons, he entered the faculty and tore student slogans from the entrance doors, to which the students told him that he could not tear down as many slogans as they could make.

After several hours of student and citizen protests in front of and inside the faculty building, Drid and the unknown persons left the faculty building.

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Source: Danas, Foto: Printscreen X

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