Belgrade Students Clash with Police in Protest Over University Raid

Hundreds of Serbian students engaged in confrontations with police in central Belgrade on Tuesday, March 31, protesting a controversial law enforcement raid on the offices of the University of Belgrade.

Disputed Raid and Investigation

Authorities stated that the search was connected to an ongoing investigation into the tragic death of a 25-year-old female student, who fatally fell from a window at a neighboring faculty building the previous Friday. During a press conference, Serbian Police Director Dragan Vasiljević asserted that officers were executing a valid court order to secure evidence related to the incident. According to Vasiljević, the search yielded items including firecrackers, walkie-talkies, gas masks, protest banners, and first-aid kits.

However, the university's leadership strongly contested the legality of the operation. Addressing the crowd of demonstrators, University Rector Vladan Đokić claimed that police entered the premises without proper legal justification, searched for documents, and confiscated computers. "You can search university premises, but you cannot search people's consciences," Đokić declared to the protesters.

Street Clashes and Broader Unrest

Tensions escalated in the capital's center as demonstrators, chanting "dogs" and "traitors," engaged in brief skirmishes with law enforcement. Witnesses reported that police officers deployed batons to disperse the crowd.

This latest unrest is part of a broader wave of anti-government protests that have gripped Serbia since December 2024, ignited by a tragic railway station canopy collapse in the northern city of Novi Sad that claimed 16 lives. The student demonstrations follow massive rallies held last March, which marked the peak of months of daily anti-corruption protests. These ongoing demonstrations represent the most significant challenge to President Aleksandar Vučić's 13-year administration.