The Lessons we MUST Learn from Serbia
Yes, really.
A few days ago, I wrote a footnote about being opposed to AI, and I received a link to a Substack written by Branislav Radeljic. Dr. Radeljic is a professor who concentrates on the socioeconomics of Europe and the Middle East, and also is investigating academic uses of AI.
I was unclear if he was responding to my AI comment, or if he wanted me to be aware of what was going on in Serbia. Seems it was both, and we had a very nice conversation.
While we agree to disagree on AI, the Serbian angle is something that was very low on my radar, but I think it’s informative of things we need to do here and now. Before we get started, through your news sources, do you know what’s going on in Serbia?
On 1 November 2024, in Novi Sad, Serbia, there was a collapse of the canopy at the main rail station. 15 people were killed, and more were injured. Here’s what it looked like:
The canopy had been constructed in the 1960’s, and it was made of concrete. It was part of an overall revamping of the train station between 2021 and 2024. The improvements were part of an agreement reached between Serbia, Hungary AND CHINA to modernize and expand the Budapest to Belgrade railway, and eventually extend it to Athens, as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The background on the China deal is good to know about, because it’s similar to how China is increasing influence in Africa. As the current fascist regime removes the United States from providing help to other countries, there is a probability that China will step in. This is how it went regarding the railroad.
The Serbian government very quickly undertook an investigation, and indicted 13 people for culpability regarding the collapse by the end of December. Pretty quick turnaround.
BUT
Serbian students saw a bigger problem, related to corruption, nepotism, a lack of official accountability, and a need for real justice1. They started protesting the day after the collapse. They haven’t stopped yet. They are a model that we should follow in the US. Remember, while not all activism led by students is successful, often it is the student protests that lead to real change. Here are some of the more famous ones.
Just a Little History (Very Abbreviated)
Feel free to skip this if you’re already familiar.
During WW2, Serbia was part of Yugoslavia, which initially aligned with the Nazis. However, a very successful resistance movement, the “Yugoslav Partisans”, led by Josip Broz Tito, changed many things.
Tito went on to hold many positions, and was the President of Yugoslavia in 1968, when the last Serbian student protests were held. Starting in early June, students at Belgrade University undertook a 7-day strike. In the end Tito claimed “the students are right”, and met several of their demands, but continued repression and other fascist undertakings. Details.
Tito died in 1980, and Yugoslavia was dissolved into the seven countries that exist to this day, in 1991-1992.
Present Day
The students today are organized in ways that they weren’t in 1968.
Their demands are clear.
They leverage plenary assemblies for organizing, with teams for things like logistics, hygiene, PR and security2.
They have engaged other groups3 in Serbia, all around the country.
The students have organized blockades, protests, marches, and rallies which led to the resignation of Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic, as well as Novi Sad Mayor Milan Djuric. On 24 January 2025, they spearheaded a nationwide general strike. Some photos.
It is possible, not likely, but possible that the movement may well bring down the administration of President Aleksandar Vucic. Here’s where the situation stands:
According to a survey by the independent, non-partisan Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability, 61% of people in Serbia support the blockades and protests, while only a third believe they are the work of "enemies" inside and outside the state.
This is a slap in the face for Vucic, whose style of rule relies on propaganda, the awarding of jobs in the public sector to loyal party members and supporters, and the control of the judiciary and the police.
…
The central question is whether the protests — a grassroots movement with no central leadership — can really force the government to resign. If they do, critics suggest that many members of the government could end up behind bars.
When Dr. Radeljic brought this to my attention, I knew about the rail station collapse, and the early protests. I didn’t know it had successfully escalated to a national strike.
While there were people out on the streets in the US for yesterday’s Presidents’ Day protests, the number pales in comparison to the numbers in Serbia, especially in terms of a percentage of population4.
We need to take a lesson from Serbia and find a way to engage student leadership, and work towards a national strike. If we can do that, we can get to the 61% approval the protests and blockades have in Serbia. At that level, we would have a better shot at ousting the regime since it is far newer, and far less entrenched.
I searched the web for photographs from yesterday’s local Presidents’ Day protests, all over the country. Very few of the people in the photographs were young.
When I think of ways to engage young people, I wonder WHY they aren’t engaged. Now, I’m old, so I was brought up on civil rights marches, Vietnam protests, the need to legalize abortion, anti-nuclear and other environmental causes (including the very first Earth Day), not to mention living through Radical Chic and Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers.
Is it possible that they don’t understand how easily democracy can be lost? The lessons of why we fought fascism in WW2 were drilled into my generation’s zeitgeist.
We need for our students to be as engaged as those in Serbia. I wish I knew how. Please use the comments if you have any ideas.
Sound familiar?
This is the system that was used by Occupy Wall Street back in 2011.
Teachers, doctors, IT professionals AND MORE!
I can’t do a precise comparison because there aren’t total numbers I can find for the US protests, but to reach the Serbian percentage, we would have needed well over 1.5 million people out.
I attended the Delco Courthouse protest and while there I came to the same conclusion. The majority were older Americans. The only younger were children who attended with parents. I think one of the best ways to begin involving younger adults is through nationwide boycotts but in order for them to participate, we would need young Democratic leaders to reach out and educate them about how the corporations being targeted are greedy, corrupt and hurt them as a consumer.
This could be done through social media. The Democrats chosen though should not have taken any $$ from corporate lobbyists Young adults also need to realize that with all Trump's/Vance's aggression towards other countries, wars they will have to fight in, will break out! Think back to how many were involved in protests against the Vietnam War.
I fear it will take the soon to come stagflation and unemployment to awaken all too many of them.