The marathon students have arrived in Varaždin. They were welcomed at the central city square with the song “For a Million Years.”
“Who doesn’t jump, is a coward,” chanted the students as they jumped. This was followed by a toast. Some gathered citizens were in tears.
“This brave action by young people is a symbol of the fight for dignity and freedom of speech,” read one student from a message by Croatian students. “What is happening today in Serbia is a sign of a maturing people… One world, one struggle,” she emphasized.
After the Croatian students delivered their speeches, there followed 16 minutes of silence.
The students from Varaždin gifted the marathon students “pump it up” bracelets, and at the end of the welcome, they played Severina’s music.
The students will spend the night in the sports hall in Varaždin, and dinner and accommodation were organized by the City of Varaždin.
TOUCHING WELCOME FOR THE MARATHONERS: Varaždin hosted the students
Photo: Sanja Kosović, N1
Many citizens attended the welcome, including a lot of young people, and some of those gathered were crying.
“I can’t, it’s too emotional for me. They are fighting for what they believe in, and it is so motivating and gives me hope for the future,” said one young woman at the welcome, with tears in her eyes.
She pointed out that “she is inspired that everyone is together and going through this together.”
“It is time for change and together we can achieve it. We all experience injustice every day, and that they are actively fighting against it is incredibly inspiring,” she told N1.
Mayor: They were not born in ’91 or ’95, they just want a better future
The mayor of Varaždin, Neven Bosilj, was among the many residents of the city who today welcomed the Serbian students running through Croatia to Brussels. He stated that many people have lost their future by looking at the past and that it is time to stop doing so.
“First of all, I am here as a citizen, not as a mayor, because Varaždin is an open city. These young people requested our help, to accommodate them. We will house them in our sports hall where we have prepared some beds and we will provide them with dinner,” he said.
Neven Bosilj said that the students’ welcome was organized by a civic initiative.
Izvor: N1 Foto: Sanja Kosović, N1 Video: Varaždinske vijesti
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