Serbia's Largest "15 for 15" Protest Ends

March 15, 2025 , a pre-planned, all-encompassing protest of students and all concerned citizens, called “ 15 for 15 ,” was held in Belgrade .

Until midnight the previous day , Friday 14 March , students and citizens supporting them were arriving in the capital from many cities on motorbikes , bicycles and on foot . That same day, all public passenger transport to Belgrade was cancelled . Trains were cancelled , citing an anonymous call the previous night warning of possible bomb threats on some routes . Regular buses were cancelled , according to the staff , for “security” reasons .

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić had warned many times in the days leading up to the event about the danger and violence on Saturday , March 15. He was echoed by representatives of the ruling party "Serbia Dare Not Stop" ( SNS ), whose leader until recently was Mr. Vučić himself . Vučić's main theses , among other things , were : "the assembly is not legitimate" , "...as long as I live, I will not allow the interim government to exist" , and "it is impossible to avoid violence at the upcoming protest , but all the rioters will be arrested" .

Mr. Vucic's statement about the interim government is directly related to the recent events in the Government of Serbia , when the Prime Minister publicly resigned from his position as Chairman of the Government , as your humble servant wrote .

Protest passed peacefully all Saturday . However , during the fifteen-minute silence that has become a permanent feature of student protests, 2 minutes before its end ( 7PM GMT+1) on video a simultaneous and rapid reaction of the protesters was recorded , which looked like a chaotic throwing of each person separately . According to the report N1 , we may be talking about the use of non-lethal sound weapons designed to "disable" the necessary objects and put them into a state of incapacitation . Many witnesses described their condition as a feeling that something like a car or other object is approaching you at lightning speed , from which you are trying to dodge . A large number of people with similar symptoms were reported , according to Radio Free Europe , by a non-governmental organization, the Belgrade Center for Human Rights . We may be talking about LRAD (Long Range Acoustic Device) - a device used in sieges , crowd control , maritime navigation, or to protect critical infrastructure . Such devices come in narrow-beam and broad-beam , short-range (300-600 meters ) and long- range ( up to 5 km ) and use a frequency range of about 2-4 kHz . The sound power emitted near the device can reach 160 dB or more , causing permanent hearing damage . At a sound power of 137-154 , the device is capable of causing pain , disorientation , nausea , migraines , and permanent damage . It is for this reason that they are rarely used in developed countries for crowd control today , and the American Civil Liberties Union has recommended in a newsletter that their use in protests be suspended .

At a conference for journalists, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic , according to Radio Free Europe , among other things , pointed to “ enormous negative energy , anger and fury towards the authorities” when describing the protest that has ended . Despite the fact that the authorities in Serbia assess the protests over the tragedy at the railway station as an “attempt” at a “color revolution , ” Mr. Vucic also noted that the majority of citizens do not want a "color revolution , " and " 99% of students do not want incidents . " The president also stated that the number of victims is 56 people , and the number of detainees is 22. In addition , it was said that the government "got the message , " and "all people in power must get the message when so many people gather . They must change themselves . "

Student protests , which began at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts and were marked by the symbolic image of bloody hands , have been going on for almost 4 months in different cities. Republic of Serbia . Then , on November 22, peacefully protesting students of the said faculty and their teachers blocked the street for 15 minutes of silence in honor of the memory of those killed in Novi Sad , where on November 1, 2024 , a canopy over the railway station killed 15 people and left two more in critical health conditions . But then the students and teachers were attacked . Since the police did not respond to their requests for punishment of the perpetrators , the symbolic protest quickly escalated into a blockade of 60 state faculties .

The first demand of the students from the state bodies was the publication of full documentation on the reconstruction of the Novy Sad railway station and the political and criminal prosecution of all those involved . To this day , according to statements by professionals in the areas of construction , accounting and management , as reported Nova.rs, not all necessary documents have been made public .

The second demand is the punishment of those who attacked students and teachers of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts on November 22 , 2024. Following subsequent attacks on students , teachers and citizens during their demonstrations, the demand was clarified and expanded to include a large number of suspects . To date, the second demand has been partially fulfilled .

The third demand was the cancellation of the charges brought against all students and minors who were arrested during the protests in Novi Sad . To date, only some of them who participated in the protest on November 5, 2024 have been released .

The fourth and final demand was to increase the budgets for the maintenance of state faculties by 20%. To date, the government has approved a 20% increase in only part of these budgets - the amount of funds for material costs of higher education institutions .

The students' demands also include the fight against corruption and the creation of a society in which institutions operate without political pressure and influence .

Sad railway station occurred on November 1, 2024 , when the entire canopy above the entrance to the station fell on the people there at the time . As a result, 15 people died , including a six-year-old child , and two were seriously injured . It is noteworthy that the tragedy occurred only almost three months after the official opening after reconstruction on July 5, 2024 , as reported by many TV channels and other media . Together with the Minister of Construction Goran Vesic, the station was opened by Serbian lawyer and politician Maja Gojkovic , who said that the station was “safe” and “Thus , according to higher standards than in Europe , we can buy tickets here today and travel safely . ”