There have been mass protests against the government in Serbia for months, which started as student protests. They were triggered by the collapse of the station canopy in Novi Sad on 1 November 2024 and the government's perceived inadequate response. One year later, three events will take place again in October and November 2025, giving academics from Serbia a voice and insights into the political situation in Serbia:
On 28 October 2025 , the"Open Conversation" event will take place in Belgrade (on site and online), organised by the European university alliance Circle U.
In the winter semester 2025/26, the "Spotlight Serbia" event series will also be continued at the Department of Slavic and Hungarian Studies at Humboldt-Universit?t zu Berlin. On 27 October 2025, the presentation "Legitimation Strategies Of The Student Movement In Serbia" will take place as part of this series and on 23 October 2025 there will be a film screening of the exciting documentary "Wake Up, Serbia", which deals with the student protests in Serbia.
The events offer not only an academic examination of current social issues, but also an insight into the current political situation in Serbia, in which students and academics in particular play a central role.
The importance of this focus is demonstrated, among other things, by the recently worsening situation at universities in Serbia. In response to political pressure, online courses were initially introduced at numerous institutions in order to circumvent the blockades of occupied university buildings. In some cases, this was followed by a transition back to face-to-face courses - in most cases against the resistance of the protesters.
In several faculties, police or unmarked civilians were deployed to clear occupations. While some Dean's offices support this approach, there are also reports of university administrations standing in defence of their students and actively trying to prevent the intrusion of state forces. Teachers have been under intense pressure for months, including financial sanctions: A new law allows salary cuts of up to 87.5 per cent, which has been used in a punitive form against lecturers since the beginning of 2025. The situation is pushing many to the limits of their economic existence. Numerous complaints against protesting students and staff as well as reports of violent attacks and injuries illustrate how tense the situation is.
Date
Open Conversation Belgrade
Academic Freedom Under Pressure: A Professor's Perspective
Time: 28 October 2025, 10 am
Location: European House in Belgrade / University of Belgrade, online
Registration deadline: 27 October