Defending democracy: Key takeaways from the Serbian student movement

On Stanford’s Democracy Day, Nov. 4, 2025, Stanford students, faculty and community members gained insights and inspiration from a panel of student protestors in Serbia who shared firsthand lessons on what students can do when democracy is under threat.

by Mary Grace Mylod-Vargas

On Stanford’s 2025 Democracy Day, a university holiday promoting civic engagement and dialogue, the Democracy Action Lab and the Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies hosted a panel discussion with three Serbian students active in the country’s yearlong protest movement. The demonstrations began after the tragic collapse of the Novi Sad railway station’s concrete canopy on Nov. 1, 2024, which killed 16 people. The disaster, widely attributed to government negligence and corruption, exposed the erosion of democratic accountability and symbolized a breaking point in Serbian society. 

Moderated by Stanford faculty members Branislav Jakovljević, the Sara Hart Kimball Professor of the Humanities, and Srđan Keča, associate professor of art and art history, the panel featured three student protestors from universities across Serbia: Natalija Petrović (Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad), Milutin Milošević (Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade), and Ahmed Koničanin, (Economics Department at the University of Novi Pazar). They were joined by Milena Dragićević-Šešić, professor emerita at the University of Arts in Belgrade and a member of the Citizen’s Council of New Belgrade, which provides support to the student movement. 

Building national solidarity

Koničanin arrived at the panel just hours after completing a 16-day, 400-km march from Novi Pazar to Novi Sad to commemorate the 16 victims of the canopy collapse on the one-year anniversary. Along the route, fellow citizens offered food, water, clothing, lodging, and even fireworks to show their support. The solidarity shown by students of the predominantly Muslim city, Novi Pazar, is a powerful sign of the bridging of religious and ethnic differences long exploited by Serbian leaders.

Dragićević-Šešić described a “spontaneous policy of care” that has emerged across Serbian society in solidarity with the students. She cited the example of IT professionals in the private sector who developed software to collect donations for high school teachers when the government revoked their salaries, enabling their survival. 

“I was struck by the sophistication, spirit, and overwhelming solidarity of the demonstrations that took place in Novi Sad and Belgrade,” reflected Abby Medin, a first-year Stanford student, who attended the panel. From blockades to country-wide protests, Serbia's student movement has mobilized and united people across the country–from agricultural workers to army veterans to business professionals–a feat that has eluded opposition parties in the past. 

The importance of strategy

The panelists shared their strategies in creating a horizontal, leaderless, disciplined massive mobilization of society to achieve their goal of reestablishing the rule of law in Serbia.

Every time someone speaks to the media, a different student represents the movement, explained Milošević.  “We don’t want anyone singled out or targeted by the pro-government outlets which dominate the media landscape. We don’t want the public to get the wrong idea. This movement has no single face.”

Student protestors have effectively leveraged social media to share information in an uncensored space. “When it comes to algorithms, we are far more literate than [the government]. On that battlefield, they don’t stand a chance,” Milošević said. 

Serbian students have even created their own media outlets, including print publications, radio programs, and YouTube channels. Alberto Diaz-Cayeros, senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, characterized this media strategy as a “demonstration of an adaptability that has sustained the movement for over a year.”

Unwavering optimism

Despite facing burnout, tabloid harassment, police violence, and hostility from Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and pro-government factions, the student activists remain determined. 

Petrović described the situation as a dystopian reality reminiscent of Orwell’s 1984 but asserted that the more persecution they face, the more motivated the movement becomes. Koničanin, who has since been stripped of his student status at the University of Novi Pazar, spoke with defiant hope: “All the sacrifices are irrelevant to the main goal that we are trying to achieve. People are connected in a unique way to fight this evil. We have to fight all together.” 

“I was impressed by the optimism with which they approached the discussion on the student protests, despite the yearlong, difficult battle,” reflected Stanford undergraduate Eliza Krackeler. 

Lessons for Stanford and beyond

Through direct dialogue with the Serbian student leaders, Stanford students, faculty, and community members gained powerful insights into how civic courage, strategy, and solidarity can defend democracy in times of crisis.

“I think everyone here in the U.S. and elsewhere can learn a lot from the composure and clarity they have maintained over the past year, especially in today’s climate of extreme political polarization and indecisiveness,” said Charlie Sagner, M.A. student in Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies.  

Diaz-Cayeros echoed this sentiment, describing the panel as a beacon of hope, “offering invaluable lessons in resilience and unity for students and activists worldwide grappling with threats to democratic freedoms.”