"I think it's generational," she gave the "diagnosis" of her freshman peers Faculty of Political Sciences.
The generation of recent graduates and the current ones freshman, she carried a large part of the rebel's burden on her back Of Serbia although it is rarely mentioned when they are side by side with the academic community.
In a conversation with freshmen, "Vreme" brings their thoughts and vision of the future in Serbia.
THE GENERATION IN WHICH "SOMETHING" BREAKING
Kalina Tomić, a first-year student at the Faculty of Political Sciences, says that current events in Serbia had a decisive influence on her:
"I graduated from agricultural school, majoring in veterinary medicine. That was my plan. However, it changed. This whole situation affected my choice of college. I started paying more attention to politics and on the situation in our country than before. This situation has affected all of us. Before, we didn't know better, we didn't even understand how everything works, but then we opened our eyes".
Her colleague Petra Jadranin, a graduate of the Obrenovac High School, and now a freshman at FPN, believes that the interest has always been there, but that the current moment made it possible for it to materialize.
"Graduates of our year already had something in them, only now it has come to the fore because of the situation we live in. Such people are being recognized more and more now and at the university. We have a lot to talk about in relation to politics because things are happening that have an intense impact directly on our lives. It happened before, but we didn't take those events seriously. Now people with the same ideals and ambitions are easier to recognize", says Petra Jadranin for "Vreme".
Another freshman from FPN, Mateja Mladenović, was one of the leading coordinators as a high school student. protest actions which they organized in Obrenovac. Mladenović believes that the wave started by the students after the fall of the canopy also drew high school students to show solidarity with their future colleagues.
"This is best seen if we compare the situation with tragedy at the Vladislav Ribnikar Elementary School and irregular elections in 2023. They could also have led to blockages, but they didn't. In a situation where FDU enters the blockade, and then the other faculties, then the Jovin high school in Novi Sad, then the high schools in Belgrade, there has been a change in our environment, which is realistically small. "The generation that until yesterday was considered to be just staring at their phones and playing games, suddenly has a need to show solidarity with others," says Mladenović.
GRADUATES AND DECENTRALIZATION OF THE REBELLION
When the students took the lead in the days after that fateful November 1, 2024, the high school students showed a high level of interest and solidarity. It was this high school movement that played a key role in the "decentralization" of the rebellion and the filling of student ranks where they could not "throw" in the beginning. While students in the first days of the blockade were active mainly in larger university centers around Serbia, the driving force in smaller towns were high school students.
Mladenović explains that in the first days it was extremely difficult to wake up passive citizens, especially in a place like Obrenovac.
"We were one of the first gymnasiums to enter the blockade, and at the same time, together with the Mathematical, Sveti Sava, Fifth and Thirteenth Gymnasiums, we remained in the blockade for the longest time in the whole of Serbia. At the first plenum, everyone was present, from the first to the fourth year, including almost all the professors and the entire school administration. The blockade of the school was voted almost unanimously. The professors stood by us - more than three quarters of the collectives were on strike. The initial actions were very simple, that was first 15, then 16 minutes of silence, which we organized at the post office, at the gymnasium or at the church", recalls Mladenović.
His colleague from the faculty, Nikola Radišić, has a similar experience. Since the Medical School in Kraljevo, which he attended, was not under blockade at the time, Radišić joined the actions of his fellow citizens.
"It was difficult because in the beginning, for example, 100 people came to the protests. It kills motivation. After people saw that high schools were participating in it, they started coming out in increasing numbers. Now Kraljevo is one of the cities where there were protests almost every day and people were always with the protests," says Radišić.
As the number of people on the street grew, the duties and responsibilities of the graduates grew. Over time, they took over the organization of all the crucial actions in these places, from the sixteen-minute silence, to the reception and care of hundreds of students who traveled on foot from town to town for protests.
CONSTITUTIONAL PATRIOTISM
What is characteristic of this generation and what turned out to be an advantage is the absence of firm ideological restraints. The traditional lines of political divisions burdened by the elderly are considered to be overcome while institutions and the rule of law are put at the center. This can be seen as a consequence of the fact that most people's first encounter with politics was not the empty bickering of politicians, but a serious tragedy that is a direct consequence of corruption and dysfunctional institutions.
"On a personal level, I realized that I have to cooperate with a large number of people and that I have to adapt. You have to find a basic common denominator with others, and for us it was constitutional patriotism. There are no more divisions between left and right, you have to cooperate with everyone," says Mladenović.
"THE GENERATION THAT STARES AT PHONES"
Many of the things that the elders complain about were used by the graduates as their weapons. The most obvious example is social networks. As a high school graduate, Petra Jadranin was in charge of communication and public relations. She says that networks were the main channel for communication with fellow citizens, other high schools and students.
"Social networks are the most important, although we also put up posters intended for a small part of citizens who do not use them. This role suited me perfectly, since I have loved video editing and photography since I was a child. The Instagram profile we created helped us when getting in contact with students in the blockade around the organization," explains Petra Jadranin.
WHAT FRESHMEN GRANTED ABOUT SENIORS...
There is no shortage of criticism from freshmen addressed to seniors. FPN student Ivan Ahac, as a high school graduate, participated, among other things, in the organization of student walks, and he believes that he could have reacted much earlier.
"They made a mistake in not reacting to the former government, which is still there," Ahac believes. "Even today, Ivica Dacic is in the government, and Vučić was the minister of information in the nineties. So, the man who says 'one hundred for one' is still at the head of the state. Let's not talk about people from the Democratic Party who switched to the SNS. We will work to ensure that this does not happen again."
Kalina Tomić adds that it bothers her that there is a belief among the elderly that they as individuals have no influence on political trends. "Thus, they think that their participation in politics is not important. They are used to living in a comfort zone and are afraid of change. Then we come to what we are living now," she says.
... AND WHAT ABOUT THE OPPOSITION?
Mateja Mladenović says that he personally thinks that the majority of the opposition does not understand the current political moment and that they are not up to the situation.
"Let's remember when the Assembly passed a series of laws without any discussion or giving the opposition a say. It was practically a coup d'état, and certain opposition groups continued to enter the Assembly and argue with them, thereby giving them legitimacy. I think they are not looking far enough," says Mladenović.
He also notes that most citizens recognize this.
"It is totally unbelievable to me that some political actors are calling for more columns or more lists. The question arises: if on one side you have a student list, and on the other a united or divided opposition - who would rather vote for them than for a student list? They keep saying 'okay, we will support the student list, but who will be on the student list?' "You know who nominates it, but you wonder who will be on it. That's a problem that only benefits the regime," says Mladenović.
THE DAY AFTER
Whether early or regular, the freshmen will have to wait for the election at least halfway through their studies. And until those battles, for which they prepare extensively, do not come, the freshmen, as they say, will try not to repeat the mistakes of the past and to approach the changes thoroughly.
For Ivan Ahac, the fall of the regime alone is not enough to establish a better quality of life, but changes should be approached thoroughly.
"First, comb through absolutely every institution, from the Constitutional Court to the city municipalities. We must not forget what was done - especially the police, the prosecution and the judiciary. There is no such thing as 'it doesn't matter, it's over,' but to react in accordance with the law, to see who did what and which laws were violated," he says.
Mateja Mladenović sees two possible variants.
"After the fall of the regime, I see Serbia as either October 5th or October 6th Serbia. Either we will make the same mistake of not thinking about the day after, leaving the same main control mechanisms of corrupt actions, or, on the other hand, what should have been done on 'October 6' will be carried out. By that I mean entering into a detailed change of the system where we will not allow something like this to happen again. There are different mechanisms for this, it does not necessarily have to be lustration, but to lay the foundation and to strengthen the rule of law. And it seems to me that we are still not looking at that, but only at the day when the regime falls", he concludes.
The elections, whenever they happen, will be an opportunity to break that "something" once again within this generation. Whether that will be the case will also depend on the circumstances that change here from hour to hour. But if the freshmen have shown anything for this little more than a year, it is that they know how to cope even with the most difficult circumstances.
BLACK WEEK: Twenty percent discount on all subscriptions until the end of November! Subscribe to digital edition, printed "Vreme", better newsletter Interval plus or support our podcast with any amount
