In Serbia, two parallel rallies with sharply contrasting messages will mark Statehood Day, writes the Washington Post, highlighting that the wave of rebellion led by students for months is one of the biggest challenges for Serbia’s president, who has maintained firm control over the country for more than a decade.
The newspaper expects Vučić at his rally to “recycle his traditional nationalist rhetoric, warning that the West wants to overthrow him by force,” while also describing how students have mobilized large crowds, stirred emotions among citizens, even those apolitical and disillusioned.
The student-led protest is the latest in a series of citizen uprisings against corruption, increasingly calling for key political changes. The recent wave of discontent erupted after a concrete canopy collapsed at the newly renovated Novi Sad train station on November 1, killing 15 people.
The Kragujevac rally is expected to draw tens of thousands demanding justice for the Novi Sad victims, eradication of endemic corruption, and respect for the rule of law. Students chose Kragujevac for its historical significance, where Serbia adopted its first democratic constitution in 1835, limiting the powers of the then-rulers. This date is celebrated as Statehood Day.
The Post recounts how students marched for days to Kragujevac, welcomed with cheers, food, refreshments, and accommodation from locals, who expressed hope for change.
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Meanwhile, in Sremska Mitrovica, Vučić is expected to “recycle nationalist themes, warning of a Western plot to overthrow him, risking the country’s collapse.” Authorities are expected to bus in thousands of supporters from across Serbia and Bosnia.
The months-long student-led protest is the biggest challenge to Vučić in years. His Serbian Progressive Party has faced accusations of suppressing democratic freedoms, discrediting opponents, and rigging elections.
The canopy disaster, widely blamed on government corruption, has become a focal point for broader dissatisfaction with authoritarian rule. Students’ determination, youth, and creativity have rekindled hope even among long-disillusioned citizens.
In the past three months, Vučić oscillated between accusing students of foreign allegiance and offering concessions. This week, during a trip to the Serb-controlled part of Bosnia, he reiterated claims of an alleged foreign conspiracy against his government, without providing evidence.
Vučić’s visit aimed to emphasize Serbian unity with Bosnian Serbs, recalling the 1990s war that claimed over 100,000 lives and displaced millions, concludes the Washington Post analysis.
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Source: Nova.rs, Foto: Vladislav Mitić/Nova.rs