Oct 27 | Reflecting on a year of student-led protests in Serbia [REDConversations]
Pooja Kishinani
“We are all under the canopy”: Reflections on a year of student-led protests in Serbia
Since November 2024, Serbia has witnessed a wave of student-led protests, triggered by the fatal collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad, exposing widespread corruption in government-funded infrastructure projects. What began as an anti-corruption protest has turned into the largest nationwide movement in Serbia in recent history, demanding institutional reform and accountability. The surprising civil protest forms have been seeking widespread transformation across all sections of society and their year-lasting persistence as well as deep transformative societal power may be a tiny, distant shining mark of hope and inspiration in these globally turbulent times.
In this conversation, we hear from Milja Vukovic, art historian and eco-activist, who lives in Belgrade and has been reporting on the changing nature of the student-led protests in Serbia. We look back to reflect on how the student-led movement has evolved and transformed over the last year. What have been the distinguishable connections of the corrupt government and intense, ongoing extractionalist mining endeavors of international companies? Have the students’ demands been translated into substantial political action?
Importantly, the anti-corruption protests in Serbia highlight how all our struggles and freedoms are entangled. We are all under the canopy. As waves of similar movements for systemic change and radical democracy emerge around the world, how do we connect our struggles, construct alternative visions and show solidarity? How do we think and organize - differently?
Date: Monday, 27th October
Time: 1.00pm-2.15pm UTC | 6.30pm-7.45pm IST (Find your time here)
Registration required- https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Kp_w98GzSU-UZRRNLDTPXQ#/registration