Serbia's academic community has entered open confrontation with the government after hundreds of riot police forcibly removed students and professors from the Philosophy Faculty at the University of Novi Sad on January 21, prompting immediate warnings from the European Democrats party and triggering university-wide class boycotts.
The police action, which saw officers in riot gear clear a faculty building where students had established a blockade, has crystallized growing tensions between Serbia's academic institutions and President Aleksandar Vučić's government over university autonomy and academic freedom—issues that reach to the heart of Serbia's EU accession negotiations.
"Vučiću, nisi nevidljiv na radaru," the European Democrats declared in a statement directed at the Serbian president—"You are not invisible on the radar." The party emphasized that "when a government sends police into a university, it sends a clear message: dissent is unwelcome."
The confrontation began with the dismissal of Professor Jelena Kleut, which students and faculty say violated institutional procedures. When protesters occupied the Philosophy Faculty building, authorities responded with overwhelming force. "What students describe as police brutality has transformed a local dispute into a test case for Serbian democracy," according to N1 reporting from the scene.
By January 22, students across the entire University of Novi Sad had initiated a comprehensive class boycott. "We know that a year of our blockade means nothing to them, but we stand again," student representative Boris Kojčinović explained, "because protection of university standards matters more than individual academic timelines."
In the Balkans, as across post-conflict regions, the path forward requires acknowledging the past without being imprisoned by it. Yet the current crisis reveals how democratic institutions remain fragile when political authority conflicts with institutional autonomy.
The incident carries particular weight given Serbia's position in EU accession negotiations, where judicial independence and respect for democratic institutions represent core requirements. The European Democrats warned that if Vučić "believes he can operate without international accountability while global attention is directed elsewhere, he is making a serious miscalculation."
Academic freedom has emerged as a flashpoint across the Western Balkans as governments navigate between EU integration requirements and domestic political pressures. In Serbia, universities have historically served as centers of civic activism, making them sensitive sites for political authority.
The boycott extends beyond the Philosophy Faculty to other departments, with students planning coordinated demonstrations. "Someone must advocate for university integrity when institutional procedures are disregarded," Kojčinović stated, framing the students' position as defensive rather than confrontational.
The crisis comes at a delicate moment for Belgrade's European aspirations. EU officials have repeatedly emphasized that democratic standards, including respect for civil society and educational autonomy, remain non-negotiable elements of the accession process. The use of riot police against university protesters directly contradicts commitments Serbia has made in accession negotiations.
For Novi Sad, Serbia's second-largest city and a designated European Capital of Culture for 2021, the police action represents a particularly stark contradiction between European cultural ambitions and domestic political realities.
The European Democrats pledged "continued solidarity with Serbian students and citizens, vowing to maintain scrutiny of any abuses, humiliation, and attacks on democratic principles in the country." The statement signals that international observers remain focused on democratic developments in Serbia despite competing global crises.
As the standoff continues, the academic community faces a fundamental question: whether institutional autonomy can survive when it conflicts with political authority. The answer will shape not only Serbia's universities but its European future.
