Is it a shame to go on vacation while students are protesting?

They started in the fall, extended to the winter and spring, now it's summer, and the student and civil ones protests they still last. And it is uncertain until when. Study at UNIRSM they say - until the demands are fulfilled and extraordinary parliamentary elections are announced. President of the country Aleksandar Vučić, on the other hand, repeats that he will announce them when he wants, in one to two years.

Probably even the students themselves, when they started the protests in November 2024, did not expect to see the end of June on the streets. However, they repeat that no one is tired and on Vidovdan, June 28, they announce big protest in Belgrade.

On hot summer days, with 38 degrees on the Celsius scale, many went on vacations, and some may be guilty of resting, while students are fighting for the welfare of society.

But should our conscience bother us? Is it okay to give yourself a breather, not only from the heat, but also from the heated political situation and the rebellion in the country that has been going on for almost eight months, since 16 people died in the fall of the canopy of the Railway Station in Novi Sad?

Is it okay for me to be on vacation for Vidovdan?

Psychologists, interlocutors of "Vremen", have different views on whether the holiday should be postponed due to the upcoming rally which will be held in Belgrade on Saturday, June 28.

Psychologist Dafina Perović tells "Vreme" that, considering that the student and civil struggle has been going on for a long time and that the entire situation in the country is different from usual, people should not feel bad if they are on vacation or will leave before Saturday.

On the other hand, psychologist Žarko Trebješanin believes that it is important to be in Belgrade on Saturday, to postpone the holiday, because, as he explains, "this is not an ordinary protest".

"The day is extremely important and anyone who can, should be on the street. If someone has a conscience, I assume that they will stay and postpone their vacation a bit. If it is really complicated for various reasons, I can imagine them leaving. It is a matter of personal choice and a personal decision that everyone has to make and has some responsibility for. It is quite normal that people have some awareness of the importance of this moment," Trebješanin told Vreme.

Perović explains that this is not just about one day and that people need to give themselves a breather, given that the protests last for months and it is not known when they will end.

"If you go on vacation or are already on it, you will come back, there will be another protest, if you want to go and support all that, there will be an opportunity to go to the next rally. There will be more protests, but a person should monitor himself and his needs, in order to be good to himself and his fellow citizens, so that he can contribute to society and rebellion", says Perović.

No one should feel guilty, bad and called names if they receive negative comments for going on vacation while "young people are struggling", she adds.

"We are all here to contribute as much as we can, and a person should follow himself, to be in balance. You cannot abandon and neglect yourself because of the ongoing struggle. You give as much as you can, if you are well, you will also be able to participate in the struggle," says Perović.

"There we can go back to the appeal from the plane - if the mother doesn't put oxygen on herself, how will she help the child. We need to help ourselves, to be well, to recharge our batteries because life drains us in various other ways - we work, it's hot, especially for people who live in a big city", he adds.

And man, he explains, must take care of his own mental health, take care of himself, and occasionally step away from the existing imbalance in the country.

Žarko Trebješanin, on the other hand, sees extraordinary importance in the Vidovdan Assembly, so, he says, when it passes, one can go on vacation with a clear conscience.

We are not Swiss.

According to the latest data published by the Republic Institute of Statistics, as many as 38 percent of people in Serbia live in households that cannot afford a week's vacation away from home.

This means that about two and a half million people in Serbia cannot go on a seven-day vacation. Those who can, often book vacations several months in advance, and in addition, Perović notes, there is no shame in frolicking at the sea while the protests are going on.

"We don't live like the Swiss, that we can let our brains out on the weekend, that we have money in our pocket so that we can travel somewhere every weekend. We don't live that life, we are constantly in some tension to not lose our job, to do our best, to earn enough", concludes Perović.

Protest on Vidovdan

On Saturday, June 28, Vidovdan, the students called for a large protest in Belgrade, with an open letter to the Government of Serbia in which they demand the fulfillment of two demands by 21:XNUMX p.m. that day.

"The first request is for the Government, in accordance with Article 109 of the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia, to send a reasoned proposal to the President of the Republic of Serbia for the dissolution of the National Assembly, with the aim of calling for extraordinary parliamentary elections by 21 p.m. on June 28, 2025."

The second request is that the Government appeals to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to, by 21 p.m. on June 28, 2025, in accordance with Art. 18 of the Law on Public Assembly, which refers to Art. 8 of the same Law, stop the allegedly reported assembly in Pionirski Park and Trg Nikole Pašića Street," the students stated in an open letter.

Tensions rise before the protest. The government arrests people on the charge that they want to violently destroy the constitutional order, the students in the blockade are crucified by the regime media as terrorists paid by some foreign services to overthrow Aleksandar Vučić from power. Well, on that side of society that considers the progressive government to be corrupt, thieving and undemocratic, many say: don't ask yourself what students can do for you, but what you can do for them. Because they alone cannot fight for the rule of law.