Yugoslavia fell apart in bloody conflicts 33 years ago. Today, three decades later, children born after the time of evil unite the region with protests for the rule of law
Their weapons are banners, whistles, silence, noise and demands.
They are students and they managed to raise and unite the region in a way that no politician in the post-war years was able to do. One could say - in spite of the politicians.
The fall of the canopy in Novi Sad in which 15 people died, two mass murders in Cetinje, 27 people died in floods in Bosnia and Herzegovina - these are events which in recent months have brought tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of residents of Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the streets. They are led by students, and one of the demands is responsibility for all these tragedies and the desire for justice to reign.
And not only these countries are on their feet, support for students in Serbia and their demands comes from Europe and the world, as well as from neighboring countries, former compatriots.
And students from Serbia and their professors support the demands of colleagues from other countries.
Thus, they caused a regional storm and alarmed all those whose politics is based on fueling disputes and separation.
Their storm and rebellion from the storms at the beginning of the last decade of the 20th century, which destroyed the country and separated the neighbors, distinguish their commitment to peace, solidarity and mutual support. And the storm of positive emotions that all this causes.
All of them are united by a basic desire - that the law prevails in the countries where they live and study.
The thread that unites them is the demand for responsibility for the acts that cause them to take to the streets, but also the assumption of responsibility for numerous other events, corruption, and crime in the countries they are from.
They seek justice and want to live in fairer states.
"Will that change happen?"
While students from Novi Sad are running to Belgrade on Monday, calling for the next protest to be held in Kragujevac on Saturday, February 15, their colleagues in Sarajevo are gathering in front of the parliament building in the first protest for the people of Jablanica.
Under the slogan "Do you want change", an informal group of students from Bosnia and Herzegovina is calling for protests due to the situation in which the residents of Jablanica, the surroundings of Fojnica and Konjice have been brought after the deadly floods in October 2024, when 29 people died, including two babies.
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They believe that the top of the state is the right address to which they should address, because the lower levels of authority and jurisdiction of entities, cantons and municipalities, they believe, are not adequate places where they seek justice.
"This is not just an accident - this is the result of systemic negligence and incompetence of those who are obliged to protect the lives of citizens. Enough waiting!", reads the call to protest published on the organization's Instagram page.
In addition to the lack of answers about the causes of the accident, the state's assistance to the people of Jablani is delayed, and the local community is left to fend for itself, they add.
"This carelessness towards human lives must not go unpunished!" We demand the responsibility of everyone who scheduled, from local to state institutions! Let's not let this tragedy be forgotten! Justice for Jablanica – justice for Bosnia and Herzegovina!” was stated in the invitation to the meeting.
The reason and motive for calling for protests is the situation in which the residents of Jablanica, the surroundings of Fojnica and Konjice have been brought.
"Where to tomorrow?" - For 23 minutes of noise for 23 victims
In two mass murders - at the beginning of 2025 and in the summer of 2022, 23 people were killed in Cetinje.
In the last few days, noise has been dedicated to each of those people on the streets of towns in Montenegro.
The informal group of Montenegrin students "Kamo sjutra" has been organizing 4 minutes of noise every day for the victims since February 23. They block the streets, and the locations of the blocks are announced the day before.
Their noise starts at 17:26, and on Monday, February 10, they will block the streets of Nikšić and Cetinje.
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Since the politicians are silent on their noise, they also announce a large joint blockade in front of the building of the Government of Montenegro in Podgorica for Thursday, February 13.
The blockade will last almost six and a half hours - from 11 a.m. to 17:26 p.m., it was announced on the organization's Facebook profile.
Montenegrin students have 10 requirements.
The first among them are the resignations of the Minister of Police and the Deputy Prime Minister for Security and Defense.
The students demand the confiscation and destruction of all illegal and concealed weapons, as well as stricter penalties for illegal possession and carrying of weapons.
Regional support
When the students in Serbia blocked the faculties and took to the streets, they soon won the support of their fellow citizens, and so far protests have been organized at least once in almost all places in Serbia.
One hundred days have passed since the fall of the canopy in Novi Sad, and the country is on its feet and a new big rally is being prepared in Kragujevac, on Sretenje, February 15.
In the meantime, students received support from Skopje, Sarajevo, Ljubljana, Podgorica, Banja Luka, Zagreb, numerous other places throughout the former Yugoslav republics, from the Croatian islands.
They are also supported by the inhabitants of numerous European and world metropolises, with different gatherings of silence and noise.
With silence and noise, students hold lectures these months, on the streets, squares, bridges, in front of state institutions, demand justice and the rule of law, walk, run marathons, and no promises and addresses stop them in their demands.
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