This weekend, the diaspora in several cities across the US and Canada organized support rallies for students in Serbia, who gathered for a massive protest in Niš. Four months ago, on this day, a canopy collapsed at the Railway Station in Novi Sad, killing 15 people. In response, students in Serbia are demanding criminal accountability through protests and blockades.
Several dozen people in Washington symbolically sent “hearts” and “love across the ocean” to the students. Members of the diaspora gathered at the statue of US President Abraham Lincoln, where they held a 15-minute moment of silence for the victims.
Among them was Nevena Novković from Niš.
“Today I couldn’t be in Niš and join our people there, but we gathered here in Washington to support the protest with the hope that better days will come to Serbia and that justice will prevail,” she said for Voice of America.
Stevan Terzić from Niš left Serbia 12 years ago, hoping it would only be for a short time.
“I escaped from a rotten system. I have been following events in Serbia, and it seemed hopeless. If you had asked me four months ago, I would have said there was no hope. The knowledge that there are still good, quality, and incorruptible people in Serbia gives me faith and hope for an eventual return home. Bravo to the students, bravo to my Niš, bravo to everyone who is fighting for freedom and a world without scoundrels!” he said for Voice of America.
“Believe us when we tell you that we all love you, even though we’ve never met,” was one of the messages from Boston, where the support rally for students was held for the sixth time.
Several dozen members of the diaspora expressed that “every week they hope this will be the last gathering, but they hope that the spirit of unity that has emerged, thanks to the students, will never end.”
“You gave us the opportunity to heal wounds together, to atone, to remind ourselves of what we hold dear and what we believe in. You allowed the truth to surface and speak. In a time when the smart are mocked, and fools are celebrated, the honest are arrested, and criminals are promoted, the educated are emigrated and belittled, and the uneducated are placed to manage our country, you armed with only your intelligence, exposed the machinery that has been working for years to destroy the best and most valuable in Serbia—education, healthcare, law, agriculture,” part of the speech at the protest in Boston read.
Among the participants was Jovan Isma, a doctoral student in Boston.
“Motivated by the energy of young people in our Serbia, who can no longer find a way for a normal life and now demand only the most basic—institutions that function and do their job, which should actually be taken for granted—I felt the desire to support them and say that it’s important for them to persevere in their goal and not give up, even though every change takes time,” he said for Voice of America.
In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, around forty people gathered, described as a community that remembers and seeks justice.
“November 1st is a day that will forever be etched in our memories, but unfortunately, it is also the day that revealed the darkest side of our society. A system where negligence and corruption reign, and accountability does not exist,” was heard at the rally in Fort Lauderdale.
The participants at the rally praised the efforts of the students and everyone else protesting in Serbia.
“They are the voice of all of us who want to live in a country where justice is not just a word, but a way of life. The students have shown that youth is not only strength but also conscience. They have shown that one should not fear the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable. We, as citizens of Serbia, have the duty to support them because their fight is not just theirs, it is the fight of all of us who want a better Serbia,” said Nebojša Stanković at the rally in Fort Lauderdale, concluding:
“Today we remember all those who lost their lives in this tragedy. But let their deaths not be in vain. Let them be a reminder that we must never again allow corruption and negligence to be more important than human lives. And let these protests be the beginning of change, which will come not from the authorities, but from us, the citizens, students, young and old, who believe in justice and dignity.”
Katarina Todorović from the Jagodina area, who has lived in Fort Lauderdale for 12 years, said she was happy to have the opportunity to support the protests and students in Serbia.
“I live well, but I want to return home, to a better and more beautiful country. And I hope that this time these protests will bring something truly better for our people,” she concluded.
Nikola from nearby Oakland Park came to support the students’ fight for “human dignity, justice, and truth.”
“I would like the authorities to repent, right before the start of the great Easter fast, to admit what happened and simply, in some way, to bring peace and prosperity to Serbia. That is my wish.”
Nenad from Novi Sad, who left Serbia 10 years ago, came to offer support primarily to his fellow citizens.
“What I believe in about this movement is the fact that for the first time in a long time, we have young people who are intelligent, who grew up with technology and can see much more than we could. They are patriots, they love our country and want the best for it. I’m not sure where this will lead, but it will certainly take us somewhere better. Keep going and all the best. The ceremony ends when the students say it ends,” Nenad said.
In Austin, the capital of Texas, another support rally for students in Serbia was held, and a few dozen people were addressed by Ivan Salaj, who emphasized that the gathering was not part of any political or similar organizations.
“People who stand with the students gathered here voluntarily, and just like them, we want the work of the responsible authorities in Serbia. Students, like all of us, want answers, transparency, and the processing of everyone involved in this tragedy. Our message to the students is, know that you are not alone. Your fight for justice and dignity resonates among people around the world. Every step you take, every word you say, has the power to change the world around you. Austin is with the students,” Salaj said.
Besides Austin, a support rally for students was also held in Houston on Saturday.
Canada
“Nothing has been fulfilled yet, pump it up!” was one of the messages from Toronto, where the diaspora traditionally gathers on weekends, despite very low temperatures, to support students in Serbia.
“Today in Niš, Serbian students are sending their ‘student edict,’ conveying the message that they will not tolerate injustice, corruption, and an inefficient system that limits them. They are aware that they deserve more, not only in education but also in society. They demand institutions that will work for the public interest, not at the expense of all. They want a system that values knowledge and effort, not obedience and silence. For us here gathered, there is only one side—the youth side!” was heard in a speech given in front of the Serbian Consulate in that city.
The gathered people read the names of the victims in Novi Sad and held a 15-minute silence for the victims.
Exactly four months ago, under the canopy, the following lost their lives: Nemanja Komar, Đorđe, Valentina and Sara Firić, Anđela Ruman, Milica Adamović, Mileva Karanović, Sanja Arbutina Ćirić, Stefan Hrka, Miloš Milosavljević, Đuro Švonja, Vasko Sazdovski, Goranka Raca, Vukašin Raković, Anja Radonjić.
Tributes were paid to the victims at the rally in Montreal, with white roses placed on posters with the names of the deceased.
At that rally, which was also held in very low temperatures and snow, in addition to members of the Serbian diaspora, there were also Canadians.
Jason Luisan said he came to support his friends.
“Corruption should not exist, and I think it is important for people to go out on the street and clearly tell the president that something like this must never happen again,” Luisan said briefly.
A support rally for students was also held in Edmonton, where several dozen people gathered.
Participants of the protest carried banners reading “Edmonton stands with the students,” “We support the snowplow,” “Seats are shaking in your SNS,” “I wouldn’t be in minus 30 in Edmonton, but on the streets of Novi Sad if everything had been by the law. Colleagues, we miss you, we’re with you wholeheartedly.”
Ana and Vladimir Ribar from Edmonton said they came to the rally to support the students and citizens in Serbia “who are fighting for a better tomorrow.”
“We are here to transfer all the energy we feel to our people, and together we will loudly deliver the message: NIŠ’ don’t worry! Pump it up!” Ana and Vladimir said, announcing the rally for the next weekend.
The diaspora rally in Ottawa was held near the Serbian Embassy in that Canadian city, in very cold weather and heavy snow.
“Although far away, always with you,” “If we were like you, we wouldn’t be here now,” “Corruption kills” were just some of the messages sent by the gathered people in Ottawa at the third support rally for students.
Protest participants in Ottawa carried hearts, one of which was left on the Serbian Embassy board.
In Vancouver, more than a hundred people gathered in support of the students in Serbia.
This rally had the slogan “Art Against Dictatorship.”
Jovana and Nemanja Krstić, the authors of this campaign, set up five dioramas, three-dimensional replicas of the Railway Station in Novi Sad and a map of Serbia, depicting the past four months.
Students in Serbia have been blocking universities and organizing protests for months, demanding that their requests be fulfilled—primarily criminal accountability for the deaths of 15 people at the Railway Station in Novi Sad on November 1st.
They also demand the publication of the complete documentation on the reconstruction of the Railway Station, the release of criminal prosecution against students arrested at the protests, the prosecution of those who beat students and professors at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, and a 20% increase in tuition fees. The authorities have stated that they have fulfilled the students’ demands, which the students deny.
MORE TOPICS:
DODIK CALMS THE TENSIONS: Independence of Republika Srpska will prevail by political means!
Source: VOA, Foto: Miljan Dejanović/Courtesy