All Eyes on Serbia: The Student Protest That’s Making History
This spring smells like freedom — a love letter to Serbian students calling for change
Hi my sweet berries,
Last week I talked about desserts, this week it’s politics, a very logical transition if you ask me. Serbia is gearing up for what’s expected to be the largest student protest so far, and possibly one of the biggest protests in the country’s history, on 15 March. Unfortunately, I’m not in Serbia right now, but I believe everyone can contribute in their own way. My contribution is telling the story and hopefully getting more eyes on what’s happening in Serbia.
Quick recap of what is happening in Serbia:
On 1 November 2024, the canopy of the Novi Sad railway station collapsed, killing 15 people.
As you might imagine, parts of buildings don’t just randomly fall and kill people, they collapse because the people who build them aren’t experts, because they use cheap materials, because of poor maintenance oversight, and because, let’s be real, corruption kills.
So what happens next? Authorities launched an investigation into the causes of the incident, but surprise, surprise — no one wants to take accountability.
Jump to 22 November: students and professors from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts (FDU) gathered to pay homage to the victims in Novi Sad. At the gathering, both students and professors were attacked by an organized group, and some members were allegedly high-ranking officials of the ruling party SNS.
I know FDU students are seen as an easy target, but you never attack the artists. If you stayed awake in history class, you’d know that revolutions are often shaped, energized, and communicated through art. But high-ranking officials of SNS probably skipped a lot of school lessons.
After the attack on 25 November, the students began an occupation of the faculty in protest. Then, Gen Z being Gen Z, decided that the only right thing to do was solidarity, so they started blocking other universities too.
Serbian students have articulated five demands during the ongoing anti-corruption protests. I won’t get into the details, but there’s one key point that’s often misreported by foreign media: students are not calling for a change of government. Their demands are focused on ensuring that government institutions function properly and carry out their duties — but that’s exactly why the situation is so tricky.
The problem is that the current government can’t meet these demands without exposing its own failures and corruption. It’s like asking a cheating boyfriend to show you all his messages, you’re not explicitly saying you want to break up, but if he shows you the messages, the truth will likely lead to a breakup anyway. That’s the core of the issue, the students’ demands threaten the government’s stability, even though they’re not directly asking for it to step down.
So that was November 2024, now we’re in the middle of March 2025, and the protests are still going strong. Honestly, I’d say they’re stronger than ever. And who’s surprised? If you can stay motivated through those terrible rainy and cold months, spring is only going to fuel the action even more.
So why should you care about the student protests in Serbia?
The student protests are showing just how much power Gen Z has to drive social change. The issues in Serbia aren’t just Serbia’s problems they’re showing us that things can be done differently. Demanding democracy, justice, and accountability in a country where those values have been systematically eroded is no small thing.
It’s honestly fascinating to watch, what started as a quiet demonstration has grown into the largest student movement in modern Balkan history. And me, as a humble communications expert, I think I’ve figured out the secret formula.
I like to call it Lessons from Marketing: authenticity, kindness, and humor — the holy trinity of building momentum (which, turns out, also works pretty well with oppressive systems).
1. Kill them with kindness
Kindness builds communities, but you already know that, you’re on Substack!
Still, kindness has been a crucial ingredient in the success of these protests. There have been other protests before, but they usually followed the old “us vs. them” formula. The students flipped the script by showing kindness for the sake of kindness, creating a sense of shared humanity that even people who might not fully agree could connect with. Small acts of kindness, students hugging marginalized people, cleaning up after every gathering, and citizens making homemade food to support students, have been everywhere on social media, making me cry pretty much every day (or at least every second day) out of pride.
Most importantly, kindness is disarming; it makes it harder for the opposition to frame the protesters as dangerous or radical. That’s why this hasn’t fizzled out like past protests it’s not driven by anger alone; it’s fueled by hope and solidarity.
2. If the Mountain won’t go to Mohammed, then Mohammed must come to the Mountain
A big challenge for the protests was the lack of coverage in mainstream media, which is controlled by the government. So how do you make sure a peasant in a small village who isn’t on TikTok knows what’s happening? Students march.
Students in Serbia organized coordinated marches, walking from different cities on different dates to gather in a central city, sometimes covering hundreds of kilometers, as a unified show of strength and solidarity. But as someone in marketing, I see it differently. It’s not just about commitment and sacrifice it’s about visibility. Why do you think eye-level shelves in stores are so expensive? The students put themselves right in front of that peasant’s door in rural Serbia, where the protests would have otherwise gone unnoticed. When people see something with their own eyes especially in rural and small areas where government-controlled media filters out certain narratives, it makes the movement real and hard to ignore. And they didn’t just show up, they brought a positive spirit and seeing young people marching through their towns with determination and positivity can feel like a lifeline. Here is a perfect example but don’t watch this video if you don’t want to cry.
3. Collective healing through humor
Ah, my favorite topic! Humor is such an underrated but powerful protest tool. A funny banner cuts through the noise, spreads quickly on social media, and sticks in people’s minds because people remember what makes them laugh.
People hesitate to use humor because they think it’s disrespectful in certain situations but Gen Z, often labeled as the most unserious generation (cue the "Historians will skip this generation" memes), isn’t shying away from it. And I think that’s absolutely great! First of all, it takes real brainpower to create something funny, especially in a not-so-funny situation. Second, it’s shareable if I see a funny sketch or banner, you bet I’m sharing it with my friends, laughing about it, and turning it into an inside joke. And you know what? Once it’s an inside joke, it’s part of the conversation.
Humor also shifts the power dynamic. It shows that the students aren’t scared, they’re confident enough to joke about the situation.
And when people start laughing at the government, that’s when things start to crumble.