MESSAGES FROM BANJA LUKA RESONATE ACROSS THE REGION

A large number of students, some professors, and citizens of Banja Luka gathered on the last day of January in a peaceful assembly at the student campus to show support for student protests in Serbia.

PHOTO: SeeSrpska

Banja Luka students delivered a clear message that echoed throughout the region.

"Thank you for coming here in such great numbers today. We greet you on behalf of the informal group 'Students for Students.' The reason for our gathering is to support all students in Serbia who are demanding justice and accountability for the collapse of the canopy at the Novi Sad Railway Station, which tragically claimed the lives of 15 people. Due to this tragedy, we, students of the University of Banja Luka, have been gathering every Friday at the Student Cultural Center for the past two months to pay our respects. We did the same today with fifteen minutes of silence. Unfortunately, tragedies have not spared our country either. Let us remember the victims of floods and landslides in Donja Jablanica. With this gathering, we also pay tribute to them.

Students in Serbia, through their fight for a better and more accountable society, continue to inspire people worldwide, especially the youth. They remind us of civic duties and virtues that we often lose sight of. The students in the blockade are teaching us lessons in freedom, justice, and humanity. They are teaching us to be better – in short, they are teaching us what it truly means to be students. On the streets of Serbia, where common sense is trampled under cars, whether those affected are students, pensioners, children, or even dogs, our neighbors, friends, brothers, and sisters who grew up with us are there, fighting for justice and a better future.

Dear students and citizens of Serbia, we see you, we hear you, we sympathize with you. We stand with you," was the message broadcasted after fifteen minutes of silence.

Messages and slogans such as "Banja Luka stands with you because we, too, have had enough," "Among the crowds in Belgrade and Novi Sad are children from this city," "Jablanica – Novi Sad, same fight, different city," "That land has fields and roses, but freedom only mocks it," "Silence speaks the loudest," and "We think, therefore we exist – only just," could be seen at the gathering in Banja Luka.

Students in Serbia have been demanding truth and accountability for nearly three months regarding the collapse of the railway station canopy in Novi Sad, which resulted in 15 deaths. Alongside them, thousands of Serbian citizens observe 15 minutes of silence daily in remembrance of the victims, while also protesting and demanding consequences for those responsible.

On January 27, students organized a one-day blockade of the Autokomanda junction in Belgrade, which ended without incidents.

The following day, Serbian Prime Minister Miloš Vučević and the Mayor of Novi Sad submitted their irrevocable resignations, while Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced a major government reshuffle. However, students continue to emphasize that the President does not hold judicial authority and that Serbia requires fundamental and systemic changes.