Serbia’s Protests Have Destabilized Aleksandar Vučić’s Rule
A student-led protest movement has kept Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić under pressure for a full year. By refusing to bow in the face of intimidation, the protesters have exposed the corrupt authoritarianism of Vučić’s government.
More than 100,000 people gathered in the Serbian city of Novi Sad this month to mark the anniversary of a disaster that exposed high-level corruption. The government is still doing its best to cover up the truth. (Andrej Isakovic / AFP via Getty Images)
As I was scrolling through the New York Times app recently, a paid post appeared on my phone screen. The title in bright green letters placed over Belgrade’s city skyline at dusk announced: “Ready, Set, Play: Belgrade Gears Up to Show the World Its Creative Spirit.”
What a coincidence, I thought, and how cynical! That morning, I had been looking in vain on the same app for any updates from my country that has now been in turmoil for a year.
The day before, on November 1, Novi Sad saw the largest protest gathering in its history as more than a hundred thousand people congregated in the city, sixty miles north of Belgrade, to commemorate the anniversary of a disaster. Student-led protests have been going on over the past twelve months throughout Serbia, reaching its high point on March 15, when over 250,000 people protested on the streets of Belgrade.
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