Motorcyclists, tractor farmers and war veterans provided security for a day-long demonstration organised by students in Subotica this Saturday.
The city of more than 90,000 inhabitants in northern Serbia with a significant Hungarian minority has several universities whose students have staged blockades since November following the deadly awning collapse at Novi Sad train station, killing 16.
They still believe those responsible have not been fully brought to justice.
A large number of demonstrators were expected to arrive in the city from the surrounding rural villages and from the regional capital Novi Sad, some of whom arrived by bicycle or on foot.
As demonstrators had previously been attacked by hooligans, who some alleged were loyal to the ruling party SNS, in Belgrade and Novi Sad, the rally in Subotica began under heavy security.
Police diverted traffic from most of the roads leading into the city centre, and the roads into the city centre used by protesters were completely blocked by farmers sympathetic to the protests with tractors, while war veterans patrolled the demonstration sites from the afternoon.
Although we only managed to speak to one person among the veterans, who told us that they were not demonstrating but were there to “protect the children”, other present at the protests told Euronews that the group, who all took part in wars and conflicts in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s, were motivated by resentment and anger over the state’s treatment, including humiliatingly low pensions.
Since the areas around Subotica are mainly agricultural, most of the farmers have also come to protect their own children attending local universities, but we also met a liberal arts student who had driven into town on a tractor borrowed from his parents’ farm.
‘It’s good to see the energy’
Despite its importance as the Western Balkan country’s “breadbasket,” some in Vojvodina, known for its significant number of minorities, feel neglected compared to other parts of Serbia.
“This country has been going downhill for 30 years,” a middle-aged Hungarian woman who works in a post office in a Vojvodina village told Euronews.
“(The different governments) have taken away the best 30 years of our lives, 80% of our children have left the country. We have to create change here, because we can’t give any more of our lives.”
A woman in her 30s told Euronews that she believes corruption is the biggest problem that is keeping the country from moving forward, for which she blames President Aleksandar Vučić.
She has not lived in the country for the last 10 years and was surprised by the dynamics of the current protests, which she cites as her reason to come home.
“It’s so good to see the energy people have shown! It’s amazing to see them going from town to town and rallying different sections of society,” she told Euronews.
Serbia, initially one of the six republics in the socialist Yugoslavia, has been ruled by governments from across the political spectrum for the past three decades. Notably, it was placed under severe international sanctions during the government of strongman Slobodan Milošević in the 1990s.
Although the country’s economy has largely recovered, some rural parts still suffer from underdevelopment, forcing most of its young and able to leave for big cities or move abroad in search of a better life.
The students who were able to talk to us were very disciplined in their comments about wanting to see meaningful consequences for the tragedy in Novi Sad and the release of those imprisoned for protesting, but not the overthrow of the government.
By contrast, Novi Sad Mayor Milan Đurić has said from the start that the real aim of the demonstrations is to get Vučić to resign, and most protesters agree with this, except the organisers.
“We want to rethink the system. We aren’t politicians, we have no political goals. We want to live in a better system that is not so corrupt, so we just want a better future,” Đurić, who hails from Vučić’s SNS party, told Euronews.
The day-long protest included children’s activities, a cartoon exhibition, food distribution, a concert and even fireworks.
The most significant part of the demonstration was the now customary 16 minutes of silence in memory of the 16 killed in Novi Sad, which was particularly powerful in light of the noise they made before and after with their whistles and plastic vuvuzelas.
