A student-led protest movement in Serbia rallied an estimated 325,000 people for a huge peaceful street demonstration on Saturday (March 15) in Serbia’s capital, Belgrade.
The rally, the biggest outpouring of public discontent in Serbia in decades, is seen as a culmination of months-long protests against Serbia’s populist President Aleksandar Vucic and his government.
The rally on March 15 saw an overwhelming turnout, with crowds gathering in several key locations around Belgrade, including Republic Square and Students’ Square. Protesters traveled to the capital from across Serbia, coming by foot, bicycles, and motorcycles to express their discontent.
In what is being described as one of the largest student-led movements in Europe in recent years, people took to the streets to demand accountability for a deadly railway station collapse that claimed the lives of 15 people. The event, organized in response to the November 1 tragedy in Novi Sad, is seen as a pivotal moment in the country’s ongoing battle against government corruption and negligence.
Ognjen Djordjevic, a 28-year-old Belgrade resident, voiced his frustration, stating, “We have gathered in the streets primarily to express our complete dissatisfaction after years of dictatorship, lawlessness, and corruption.”
The largest protest against corruption in the history of Serbia happened today. It's estimated that over 800,000 people attended. pic.twitter.com/2KEzc8dqDW
— Molly Ploofkins (@Mollyploofkins) March 15, 2025
While the Serbian government reported that 107,000 people participated in the rally, independent monitoring group the Public Meeting Archive estimated that as many as 325,000 people were present, making it one of the largest protests in Serbia’s recent history.
The collapse that sparked national outrage
The rally is part of a nationwide anti-corruption movement that erupted after a concrete canopy collapsed at a train station in Serbia’s north in November, killing 15 people.
The protest, dubbed “15 for 15,” commemorated the victims of the Novi Sad railway station disaster, where a concrete canopy collapsed, killing 15 and injuring many others. The tragedy has ignited a nationwide movement that blames the Serbian government, led by President Aleksandar Vučić, for its alleged role in fostering corruption and disregarding safety standards in construction projects.
Protesters are demanding justice for the victims, with many believing that the disaster is a symptom of broader issues of systemic corruption and poor governance that have persisted under Vučić’s leadership for over a decade.
“We just want a country that works,” said law student Jana Vasic, who joined the growing crowd in Belgrade. “We want institutions that do their jobs properly. We don’t care what party is in power. But we need a country that works, not one where you don’t get justice for more than four months.”
Despite the size and intensity of the protests, the atmosphere remained largely peaceful, though sporadic clashes broke out between protesters and riot police, with reports of fireworks and bottles being thrown. No major injuries or arrests were immediately reported.
Student-led movement at the forefront
The protests have been spearheaded by university students, who have rallied against the government’s mishandling of the collapse and its broader record on corruption. The student-led movement, which has gained momentum over the past few months, is increasingly resonating with a broad cross-section of society, including taxi drivers, lawyers, academics, and even farmers.
These protests are not just about one event, but about the way the country has been run for the last decade, said Dejan Simic, a protester who emphasized that the rally marked only the beginning of a longer struggle for reform. “This is just the beginning of the end, a process which I hope will end soon.”
Students have become symbolic figures in the fight against what many see as an authoritarian regime. Their demands include the full publication of documents related to the station’s reconstruction and the prosecution of those responsible for the collapse.
The protests led to the resignation of Prime Minister Miloš Vučević in late January, but the students believe that their demands have still not been met.
Vucic says government “gets the message” from protesters
President Aleksandar Vučić, who has faced growing pressure from both protesters and opposition leaders, addressed the nation on Saturday, praising the police for maintaining order and stating that he understood the protesters’ message. Acknowledging the “enormous negative energy and anger” directed at the country’s authorities, he said that “We will have to change ourselves,” but remained firm in his rejection of calls for a transitional government.
While giving no indication of what this change might be, he said “All people in the government have to understand the message when this many people gather. We will have to change ourselves,” he told a news conference on March 15 as tens of thousands of people gathered on the streets of Belgrade.
Vucic said authorities had estimated the crowd size at between 88,000 and 107,000. However, the Archive of Public Gatherings, an informal organization that estimates the size of protest crowds in Serbia, put the number of protesters in the Belgrade demonstration at between 275,000 and 325,000.
Despite Vučić’s assurances, tensions continue to rise as protests show no signs of subsiding. Demonstrators are calling for his resignation, with some carrying banners that read, “He’s Finished!” Milenko Kovacevic, one of the protesters, expressed hope that the rally would lead to a shift in political power. “I expect that this will shake his authority and that Vučić will realize that people are no longer for him.”
Vučić, who has been in power for 13 years, remains defiant. He dismissed proposals for a transitional government, claiming that the West is behind the protests and that foreign intelligence services are attempting to oust him. However, he has provided no evidence to substantiate these claims.
As the protests continue to unfold, Serbia finds itself at a crossroads. The November 1 disaster, coupled with months of public disillusionment and dissatisfaction, has ignited a wave of protest that is challenging the status quo like never before.
Though President Vučić has attempted to downplay the significance of the protests, the sheer scale of Saturday’s demonstration, along with widespread public support for the student-led movement, suggests that the demands for change are far from a passing trend. In late February, a survey conducted by the Research, Transparency and Accountability Center revealed that 80% of Serbians supported the student movement’s call for accountability and reform.
With many political analysts predicting that the protests could have far-reaching consequences for Vučić’s administration, the next few weeks may prove crucial in determining the future of Serbia’s governance.