The Serbian government, under the auspices of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, has organized a counter-protest in Belgrade in response to massive anti-government protests led by students that have spread across Serbia since the collapse of a canopy in Novi Sad killed 16 citizens on November 1, 2024. Since the beginning of the student protests, the Russian and Serbian security apparatus have focused on these demonstrations to distance them from liberal-democratic values. Through their numerous extremist groups, they ensured that the flags of the European Union, Ukraine, and even Georgia were banned, while pro-Russian flags symbolizing Russian aggression against Ukraine (in particular the flag of the Orthodox Army from the Battle of Kulikovo), as well as the Serbian national-revisionist claim against Kosovo (the so-called “No Surrender of Kosovo” or Nema predaje flag), have been freely displayed. The same flags have also been prominent at many of the student protest gatherings, and there are very few public voices that have raised concerns about this deleterious development.
Video excerpt from the pro-Serbian government counter-protest held in downtown Belgrade on April 11, 2025:
Faced with a massive popular student uprising, the Serbian government, in retaliation, has also assembled a group of students to counter these protests. At the counter-protest, the still-serving Serbian Prime Minister Miloš Vučević handed out awards to students who aligned with the Serbian government:
Miloš Pavlović; Milutin Mijović; Marija Stanković; Luka Lalošević; Vladimir Balać; Sladjana Vučetć; Danica Kovač; Milica Sladojević; Andreja Jovanović; Milutin Cimeša; Vukašin Djoković; Sara Kuzmanović; David Vuković; Danijela Jovanović; Andjelija Hajdana Bakalović; Ljubica Patrik; Sara Paunović; Slobodan Subotić; Teodora Živančević; Dejvid Alidaini; Lazar Aksentijević; Nikolina Mitrović; Nikola Radojčić; Dajana Matić; Željana Pantelić; Petar Gombar; Katarina Milojković; Nevena Antonović; Uglješa Mitić; and Željko Zdravković: