“Every banner in a window, every poster in a shop, every message on a car – these are the sparks that ignite the flame of unity”, say the students of the faculty of Organisational Sciences, FON, and call on citizens to turn their homes, bars, streets and neighbourhoods into a “living mosaic of resistance”.
“This isn’t a mere symbolic action – it’s a sign that all of Serbia is awake, that every corner of the country is echoing with one voice,” the appeal concludes.
From Niš, on foot and on wheels
In order to reach the protest that will take place in Belgrade on March 15, cyclists will leave from Niš on Tuesday, March 11 at 9:00 a.m., to begin their journey to the Faculty of Electronic Engineering. A 320-kilometre-long road awaits them and will follow the route Niš – Kruševac – Čačak – Lazarevac – Belgrade.
Hikers making their way from Niš set off on March 9, from the Manasija monastery. 193 km and six days of hiking await them, with their route to Belgrade passing through Svilajnec, Požarevac, Smederevo and Pančevo.
One incident reported by students from Subotica
On March 8, students set off from the blockade in Subotica to make their way to the general protest. Earlier today they reached Novi Sad, from where they will continue to Belgrade with their peers.
As per the statement students shared on their social media, last night there was an incident in Stari Žednik when unknown persons tried to remove the banner “Stari Žednik stands with the students”. The students claim that two Škoda vehicles, with Belgrade plates, and a vehicle with Elektrovojvodina marks took part in the action. Thanks to the prompt intervention of those present, the attempt to remove the banner failed and students released footage from the surveillance cameras on Instagram.
Donations for March 15
Collections of donations – from sleeping equipment to cutlery & crockery, from food & snacks to first aid kits – have begun across faculties in Belgrade, with students from the faculty of Philosophy posting a complete list of the resources needed to host their peers for the big protest on March 15 on their Instagram account.
In addition, students from the faculty of Mechanical Engineering and from across the faculties of Technologies and Engineering have begun preparations ahead of hosting their peers travelling to Belgrade from across the country.
Students make suggestions for next steps
Last night, on the student blockades social media accounts a letter was published calling on citizens across Serbia to mobilise and organise themselves into assemblies.
“All citizens, who according to the Constitution are irrevocable holders of sovereignty, should be included in the discussion and decision-making on the topic of the current crisis.” That is why we invite you to turn to mobilise locally and self-organise independently, following direct democracy model – namely through the body of citizens’ assemblies provided for by law. Those who care, ask questions and take action – and that is all of us. Everyone, join an assembly”, stated in the statement of the students.
In their call, students state that what for them constitutes a plenum, constitutes a collective gathering for citizens.
“However, due to the pronounced centralisation and corruption of the system – local governments, and with them local communities, tend to be neglected. The strength of the student movement lies in its direct democracy, which, unlike representative democracy, is not subject to manipulation and corruption,” the students said.
They remind us that the demands of the protest have yet to be met, which only adds to the pressure on institutions initially brought on by the demands.
They add that “everything they have achieved up until now has been thanks to the principles of direct democracy and the use of plenums” they have achieved everything so far.
“The plenum is an open forum for all members of a collective, where everyone equally proposes agenda items, discusses them and makes decisions based on a simple majority vote.”
Is representative democracy in crisis?
Students state that “representative democracy is clearly unsuitable to tackle the decades-long socio-political crisis of our country” and they further added “Whereas, based on our experience so far, direct democracy stands a good chance. Answers to wider social and governance issues, which are currently being discussed, aren’t just a students’ concern and they therefore cannot fall only on our shoulders.”
Translated from Serbian by M.J.
