Serbia’s Protests Grow: Is Vučić Losing Control of the Streets? | Nikola Ćurčin

Escalating Protests in Serbia

• 💡 Student-led protests in Valjevo, Serbia, mark six months since a brutal police crackdown, demanding accountability for police violence and corruption.
• 🎯 The demonstrations, uniting students, alumni, and the wider community, are part of a broader student movement ongoing for over a year.
• ⚠️ Authorities have responded with a heavy police presence and counter-events, but the protests have remained non-violent.
• ⏳ Protests are expected to persist until snap elections, which are viewed as a crucial turning point for change.

Government's Stance on Accountability

• 🚫 The current Serbian government shows no intention of prosecuting those responsible for abuses, including 16 deaths in Novi Sad that triggered earlier protests.
• 🔑 A key challenge for the movement is the lack of a direct leader, as past prominent figures have faced government pressure and media torture.
• 🧠 Future leadership is anticipated to emerge from university professors and public figures who support accountability.

Judicial Laws and EU Integration

• ⚖️ EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos criticized Serbia's recently adopted judicial laws, warning they could slow European integration.
• 🧩 President Vučić is accused of inventing new problems like these laws to distract from his failure to implement media regulation and election law changes.
• 🚨 The government is consolidating power, creating a "personal, almost federal regime" by replacing officials in the judiciary, police, and schools.
• ✅ Protesters' demands are fundamentally aligned with EU values and the rule of law, despite government attempts to discredit them.

International Scrutiny and US Relations

• 🏨 The planned Trump-Kushner hotel project in Belgrade, located on a former Yugoslav Army site, has been put on hold due to protests and legal controversy.
• 🔍 This project was seen as an attempt to buy foreign government support, leading to a minister being under criminal investigation.
• 🇺🇸 The US administration's favorability towards the Serbian regime has reportedly decreased due to this and other scandals, including drug trade allegations and Russian interference training.
• 📈 Personal sanctions against Serbian officials by the US government are anticipated, with a list expected in March.
• 🌍 Regarding the war in Ukraine, the general sentiment in Serbia is that it is terrible, and Ukraine's defeat would send a negative global message.