What European students can learn from their Serbian peers

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that Serbia’s student movement has won an unprecedented electoral breakthrough after building a yearslong, independent campaign that challenged President Aleksandar Vucic and his government. The article says the mobilization grew out of anger over the deaths of 16 people in a 2024 train-station canopy collapse in Novi Sad, but also reflected wider frustration over corruption, poor governance and limited social mobility.

According to the piece, students avoided aligning themselves with established opposition parties or major foreign powers, instead creating their own structures inside occupied universities. These included plenaries, local committees, peaceful rallies, vigils, and student-run support systems for food, medical care and debate. The article says that approach helped them win public trust and withstand police pressure, while also allowing them to develop a political programme through collective discussion rather than party leadership.

The report says the movement later turned to electoral politics through a “Student List,” using a transparent candidate-selection process and rejecting established politicians. It argues this style of organizing helped deliver the result that traditional opposition groups had failed to achieve for years. The piece also notes that the new political force now faces difficult decisions, including questions over Serbia’s foreign policy, arms exports and relations with Israel and major powers.

Beyond Serbia, the article presents the case as a possible lesson for student movements elsewhere in Europe, suggesting that its mix of self-organization, direct democracy and broad public engagement may be relevant in countries facing economic strain and political disillusionment.