Police is on Wednesday (January 21) again forcibly dispersed students and professors from the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad and from the university campus who protested the dismissal of Jelena Kleut. To restore order through the use of force, uniformed police officers in full riot gear were called by the dean Faculty of Philosophy Milivoj Alanović.
It is not the first time that Alanović "let" the police on students. He did the same last year, during the summer blockades.
Minister of Interior Affairs Ivica Dacic he calls the statements of "blockaders and opposition politicians" that there was naked regime repression at work as lies and claims that the police acted "highly professionally and in accordance with the law". Rebellious students, professors, some opposition members, but also the European Democratic Party (EDP) do not agree with the assessment of the representative of the Serbian government.
European Democrats: "Vučić, you are not invisible"
The European Democrats, which consist of the national parties of the center, liberal and federalist orientation, warned Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Platform X that he is not invisible on their radar and that "when a government sends the police to a university, it sends a clear message: dissent is not welcome."
"In Novi Sad, students and professors protesting the dismissal of Professor Jelena Kleut were forcibly removed from the Faculty of Philosophy", states EDP and adds: "If Vučić believes he can do whatever he wants in Serbia while international attention is focused elsewhere, he is making a serious mistake".
EDP will continue to support Serbian students and "will keep the spotlight firmly pointed at every abuse, every humiliation, every attack on democracy."
FDU in blockade: Are you picking on the bear?
The students of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts (FDU) in the blockade, those who first decided to block the faculty in the fall of 2024 and start an avalanche of rebellion, published a video on Instagram as a reaction to what happened at the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad.
"Did you poke the bear? Pomeranians? You wanted us so much? Let's play then", are the messages accompanying the video they published, with the addition: "We're back".
Academic plenum: The goal is for the police to expel students and professors from all faculties
The informal organization Academic Plenum condemned the brutality of the police, who expelled professors and students from the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad with excessive use of force.
"It is now clear to everyone that their real goal is to expel professors and students from all faculties and shut down state universities in Serbia, because they are still educating young people who think for themselves, for whom justice and law are worth fighting for," announced the Academic Plenum.
The union demands the resignation of the dean
The independent trade union of the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad, on the occasion of yesterday's events at the Faculty of Philosophy, called on the dean of this faculty, Milivoj Alanović, to resign because he showed that he is not capable of managing a higher education institution and protecting the interests of employees at the faculty, they stated in a statement.
As they pointed out, yesterday's incidents were real proof of the most brutal violation of the university's autonomy, and the dean of the Faculty of Philosophy and members of his vice-dean's team are the most responsible for it, they said.
Đilas: The violence will increase
The President of the Party of Freedom and Justice, Dragan Đilas, said that the government will not refrain from any kind of violence, which will be greater and greater, and pointed out that instead of so-called loyalists, we are now getting super-loyalists in the police.
"Professor Jelena Kleut is expelled from the faculty without any basis, and the students who want to rebel are expelled by force by the police, which is absolutely reprehensible," said Dragan Đilas for TV Nova.
He expects the solidarity of the professor of the Faculty of Philosophy with his colleague and the students, and does not rule out that they could start a strike and show that they are against it.
LSV: Dictatorship with dissidents
The League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina (LSV) condemned the behavior of the police towards the students, judging that it is a sign that the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, has started a "dictatorial showdown" with everyone who does not think like his "corrupt brothers in power".
The president of LSV Vojvodina, Bojan Kostreš, said that the moment is right for the members of the European Parliament mission to come to Novi Sad and witness Vučić's repression of Serbia and its youth.
"Europe can and must stop Vučić's barbaric showdown with Serbia," said Kostreš.
HEART: Dress rehearsal for state repression
The Serbia Center Party (SRCE) asked whether the police intervention represented a "dress rehearsal for state repression".
It was stated that the actions of the Novi Sad police and Gendarmerie "confirmed that the use of bare force is the only way Vučić will try to protect his survival in power."
"Is this a prelude and dress rehearsal for state repression, which they will ensure and ensure - and changes to the judicial laws and placing the prosecutor's office under the control of Nenad Stefanović, the most loyal among the loyalists?", they asked, among other things, in the statement.
Dacic: Blockade lies and good police action
The Minister of Internal Affairs Ivica Dačić also announced late on Wednesday.
As stated in the press release written in bureaucratic language, issued "due to the lies told by blockaders and opposition politicians", the police acted "highly professionally and in accordance with the law".
According to the MUP, on Wednesday at 3:18 p.m., Milivoje Alanović, dean of the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Novi Sad, informed PI Stari grad that there are about 150 people inside the faculty who are disrupting the work of the faculty and demanded the action of the police.
"Citizens were issued a warning and order to leave the premises of the faculty and enable normal work and activities of the faculty, which they ignored and did not want to leave the premises of the faculty. After ignoring the warnings and orders issued, the police officers used physical force to push the citizens present in order to leave the premises of the faculty, without using other means of coercion, after which the citizens left the premises of the faculty and went out into the street in front of the Faculty of Philosophy," the statement reads.
It is added that the police acted in a highly professional manner and in accordance with the law, it is written, among other things, in the statement signed by Dacic.
What happened at the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad?
Since she is an associate professor Jelena Kleut dismissed at the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad, students in the blockade started a blockade of this faculty on Wednesday (January 21), but dean Milivoj Alanović presented a request to free the faculty.
The dean, who had already called the police to the faculty once, after which there was a fierce conflict between demonstrators and members of the MUP, and the police stayed at the faculty for days, asked the people protesting the dismissal of Jelena Kleut to leave the building.
He previously said that "the administration will be forced to take measures that no one wants", if the building of this higher education institution is not unblocked.
The gathered people did not listen to him, and later the regular police and then the Gendarmerie arrived at the university at his invitation. After the warning, the police started pushing the crowd out of the building.
During the police intervention, there were several cases of beatings, which can be seen in the published videos, but the Minister of the Interior, Ivica Dacic, characterized it as lies, claiming that the police reacted professionally.
The son of truck driver Milomir Jaćimović was also detained for insulting a police officer, but was released after going to the station.
The police are still on the campus of the University of Novi Sad, in front of the Faculty of Philosophy building, while classes are taking place on Thursday (January 22).
Students of the University of Novi Sad hold a plenum in the amphitheater of the Faculty of Agriculture. The idea is for UNS students to agree on the next steps of the struggle.
Students are discussing three options - boycotting classes, striking and protesting.
Novi Sad: Gendarmerie expelled students from the Faculty of Philosophy
