For many years, the general public in Serbia has been numb to all the wrongs that have affected them. From breaking the law to human rights violations, from destruction in Savamala to the scandal of Jovanica. And while at least a part of the public almost refused to turn a blind eye, the attempts to do something dwindled – from the “1 out of 5 million” movement to the “Serbia against violence” protests.
However, this continuous state is not just a turn of unfortunate events, it is not faith or God’s will, it did not occur all by itself. Quite the contrary – if you scratch under the surface, you can see that a lot of work was put into it. Some by degrading the institutions, some by media control.
It turns out in the end that the current president of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić is a real “political nerd.” Unfortunately for Serbia and its citizens, he used his knowledge to establish an autocracy instead of a democracy. That being said, he always knew how to respond when civilian discontent came knocking on his door, always ready with a timely dose of poison in moments whenever his rule was threatened.
Every poison has its antidote though. For the citizens of Serbia, the antidote was its youth. With every move the government made, not only was it wrong – it sparked an even stronger backlash. Suddenly, the protests are much larger in size than ever before. Suddenly, the summer doesn’t represent the “end of the protest season.” Suddenly, the protests are happening in places where they’ve never happened before. Suddenly, snap elections are no longer “in the bag” for the regime. Suddenly, the regime is always three steps behind. Suddenly, no one is tired anymore.
Youth and Madness
The answer to the question “how did this happen?” is revealing itself – students, or better said, young people. The same ones that have been criticized for years for being too passive, for not participating in politics. Since November of last year, mainly thanks to them, everything has changed in Serbia.
In conversation with Mašina, psychologist Ana Mirković explains that the current protests are, compared to some of the previous ones, very different in various ways. Above all, it’s the fact that for the first time, it is the younger generation that is leading, inspiring and motivating them. As she says, it turns out this new generation is very determined.
“This generation is probably the most empathetic, tolerant, flexible and intelligent that has ever lived on Earth. Their intelligence allows them to adapt to new conditions. We can see how, in the last seven or eight months, they have changed their protest tactics. From completely closing universities, marching all across Serbia, gathering in big cities, and blockading institutions. And now we see, after the St. Vitus day protest, another change of course with the street barricades. This all shows just how flexible the new generation is. And flexibility is one of the most important skills of the new age, that is, how one adapts to new circumstances”, says Mirković.
Furthermore, she adds that all the above-mentioned changes in the course of the protest also inspire other people, as they get to constantly take part in something new. It is exactly this that gives them the energy to continue, Ana claims.
“Everything that’s new and comes to us as something new is actually the confirmation of our strength. For the first time, we can feel like we have a purpose in our society and for the first time we can feel that our actions really affect the regime. And so, freedom seems to be within reach. Before, these processes would shut down, but only in the moment when we would conclude that our actions are pointless. Now, we can see that each action we take gets a reaction from the system, and each reaction just gets worse. The worst one yet has been the repression we’ve been enduring for the past couple of days”, Mirković tells Mašina.
The absence of fear, also known as FREEDOM
From “I won the color revolution” to “we will go to elections whenever you want” to helplessness, police brutality and “only after EXPO 2027 is over.” As time goes by, the government led by Vučić keeps losing room for maneuvering. On the other hand, the people are getting more and more creative and determined. It seems the days of apathy are long gone.
In relation to that, Mirković mentions that,in some weird way, the regime is provoking this huge energy in the people and rebellion.
“When after a decade of repression the people free themselves of fear, then that freedom brings a giant dose of bravery and determination, and you can never return them to their previous state. The government’s mechanisms no longer have any effect. And when there is no more fear, that is freedom by definition. It’s that inner state of harmony in which you feel you can make decisions without coercion and without fear. We already won freedom, now we just have to verify it”, concludes Mirković.
M.B., A.S.
