Page 36 - bne IntelliNews monthly magazine April 2025

36 I Southeast Europe bne April 2025
Serbian students and citizens protest against government corruption after the accident at the Novi Sad train station. Novi Sad, Serbia, 1 February 2025 / shutterstock.com
Southeast Europe erupts in weekend of protests
bne IntelliNews
Close to 300,000 demonstrators took to the streets of Serbia’s capital Belgrade on March 15, in the latest of a series of mass student-led protests. While the demonstration in Belgrade was by far the largest, smaller protests took place in several countries across Southeast Europe and the wider region.
These included rallies in solidarity held in Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana, and in Banja Luka, the de facto capital of Republika Srpska, Bosnia & Herzegovina.
In Romania, approximately 10,000 people gathered in a pro-European demonstration against the growing influence of far-right parties.
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In the broader region, in Hungary, tens of thousands marched in opposition
to the government’s increasingly tight grip on the media. Georgia, too, has seen persistent demonstrations, with protests continuing for over 100 days following the government’s decision to halt the country’s EU accession efforts.
While each protest has its own immediate trigger, a common theme runs through the region: frustration with entrenched political elites accused of eroding democratic institutions, consolidating power and curbing civil liberties. The protests in countries including Serbia, Hungary and Georgia reflect mounting discontent over corruption and democratic backsliding. While the Romanian protest was aimed
not against the government but at the increasingly powerful far-right parties, participants share with the Georgian opposition a commitment to EU values.
The aims of the protesters differ too. Those in Georgia want a re-run of the October 2024 election that was widely seen as rigged in favour of the ruling Georgian Dream party. In Hungary, the opposition is also keen to oust Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s long-ruling Fidesz party.
In Serbia, by contrast, protesters
say they are not looking to oust
the government or stage a colour revolution, but to bring in much needed reforms and force the authorities to take responsibility for