In just three weeks, over 15,000 academics, artists, writers, filmmakers, musicians, curators, educators, journalists, activists, and other cultural workers from around the world have signed our petition to end the violence targeting students who are peacefully protesting in Serbia.
Some of the notable names who signed the petition include Radu Jude, Sir Richard Taylor, Miriam Margolyes, Denis Côté, Matthijs Wouter Knol, Mike Downey, Ada Solomon, Danijel Hočevar, Mira Staleva, Chris Price, and Ivica Buljan. Support has also come from ELIA, CILECT/GEECT, Wiener Festwochen, ZDSFU, ENCATC, over 150 members of the Slovenian academic community, and UNESCO Chairs and experts such as Julius Heinecke, Basma El Husseini, Avril Joffe, Jordi Baltà Portolés, Hiroko Tsuboi, Fatin Farhat, Lidia Varbanova, Marwa Helmy, and Ole Reitov (Free Muse), among others.
Global media is finally paying more attention to what is happening in Serbia. The New York Times, Washington Post, The Guardian, Associated Press, BBC, Reuters, Politico, Euronews, DW, Voice of America, Morning Star, as well as Al Jazeera and The Moscow Times, have reported on the situation — though some outlets express confusion at the non-political nature of the protests, which neither lean East nor West.
The European Parliament has finally discussed the ongoing crisis in Serbia. In an open letter published on 5 February 2025, Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos called for a full, impartial, and speedy investigation of incidents targeting demonstrators. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned: "It is extremely important that the demonstrators... show reason and do not follow the lead of those who stir up emotions. Chaos must be avoided in Serbia."
Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek has accused the European Union of ignoring the protests out of fear of losing their trusted partner, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. Žižek argues that Serbian students have invented a new form of peaceful protest, demanding justice, the rule of law, and an end to corruption — rather than pursuing direct political change. Many celebrities have used their social media platforms to show support or at least amplify news of the protests, including Madonna, Novak Djokovic, Garbage, and Alyssa Milano.
For over 100 days, Serbian students have been demanding justice for the 15 victims of the collapsed concrete canopy at a railway station — a tragedy caused by corruption within both local and state authorities. What began as a student-led peaceful protest has since grown into a broad coalition of academics, farmers, lawyers, bus drivers, teachers, workers, artists, and tens of thousands of citizens protesting together daily, forming a resilient anti-corruption movement.
Despite these powerful demonstrations, Serbian authorities continue to offer everything except what the protests are actually demanding. Serbia’s Prime Minister Miloš Vučević resigned, but his resignation was never on the original list of demands. Instead of addressing the root causes of public outrage — corruption, injustice, and the failure of state institutions — the Serbian authorities resort to distractions, empty promises, inciting street violence, and targeting individuals.
Serbia’s authorities must realize that the world is watching. If you haven’t signed the petition yet, now is the time. If you have, please share it widely.
Stay informed. Stay engaged. Stand with Serbia. Thank you!