University students on strike in Serbia protested outside the country's top court on Sunday to draw attention to what they say have been violations of their civil rights under the populist authorities, including pressure from the secret service. The rally began with thousands of people standing in silence for 15 minutes in front of the Constitutional Court in the capital, Belgrade, to commemorate the victims of a concrete canopy collapse in the northern city of Novi Sad in November, which killed 15 people and triggered almost daily anti-corruption protests. A separate rally was also held in the southern city of Niš. The ongoing protests reflect wider discontent with what they see as Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić's increasingly autocratic rule. In public, Vučić says he wants to steer Serbia toward EU membership, but he has faced accusations of curbing democratic freedoms rather than advancing them. Classes at Serbia's universities have been suspended for weeks with students demanding accountability for the canopy collapse at the railway station building in Novi Sad on 1 November. Many in Serbia believe the huge canopy collapsed because of sloppy reconstruction work that resulted from corruption. The Novi Sad railway station building was renovated twice in recent years in a deal with Chinese state companies. Striking students have reported pressure from Serbian state security and Vučić, who has accused the students of receiving money from the West to fund their protests. The pro-government media have bluntly published personal data of some of the protesters, which would not be possible without the involvement of Serbia's secret service, BIA. Luka Stojaković, who was targeted by the pro-government media along with his brother, told N1 television that "we have learned that BIA can knock on our doors, conduct repression against our parents and invited us for a 'friendly' chat." "They published our (personal) data and no one was held responsible," said Stojaković. "I expect there will be pressure on our parents and that they will link us to political parties, but we will not give up until all our demands are fulfilled." Student protests have posed the most significant challenge so far on Vučić's tight grip on power. The students have received widespread popular support, and their rallies have drawn tens of thousands of people. During their rally on Sunday, protesters read out the articles of Serbia's Constitution that they say have been violated with the various forms of state pressure on their protests. In one of his frequent public appearances on state-controlled media, Vučić called the Sunday protest "stupid" and added that he would step down only when he decided to do so. "They (the protesters) live in their own world. They are not my problem, but I blame those who are pushing them about all this. I mean their professors," Vučić told Pink TV. Prosecutors have filed charges against 13 people over the train station canopy collapse, including a government minister and several state officials. However, there are doubts over the probe's independence under the authorities. — Euronews
