Serbian students have been conquered to Bratislava. We want justice and democracy, they refer to

71 students and 9 students cycle from Novi Sad to Strasbourg.

BRATISLAVA. « Kohon Skaca Taja is the time, » chanted the jumping people at Tyršovo embankment in Bratislava. In the translation from Serbian it means « who does not jump, the one is the time, which is an ironic designation for students who disagree with ongoing demonstrations in the country.

People gathered to welcome a group of 80 students who cycle from Belgrade to Strasbourg. Approximately two hundred came to the Danube embankment on Monday afternoon.

Thus, Serbian demonstrators want to involve the European Union in their calls for justice. At this time, the country is massively protesting against the corruption of Prime Minister Miloš Vučivič Vučič, who recently resigned for pressure. The protests were started by the collapse of the newly opened train station, which killed 16 people. It was built by a Chinese company.

Farmer Ján Ferko, who comes from the village Kysáč near Novi Sad, also came. Cyclists welcomed the white flag of the initiative for the survival of Serbian farmers. Ferko also participated in protests in Belgrade, where farmers blocked roads on the tractor.

« We support and defend them from the beginning, we will be with them to the end until their requirements meet, » says the farmer about solidarity with protesting students. The main requirement is to stop corruption in the country.

« We just want the truth that all institutions do their robot as we do, what we grow and keep, » Ferko continues.

The convoy on Tyrš embankment was welcomed by Serbian flags and banners with Cyrillic. Only unity will save the Serbs, it was written on one of them. Most of the addressees come from Vojvodina, ie from Serbia, where the most numerous Slovak minority is. There is also the city of Nový Sad in the region.

Many of them also had bicycle pumps on banners, some physically. The object became a symbol of the resistance, people express the need to keep protests still alive.

Serbia already has enough, the student refers to

« Students do it differently, » comments the course of protests in Serbia Bratislava Nataša Behind, originally from Novi Sad. Part of the student events is the blocking of universities.

Behind also participates in demonstrations of the Mier Association Ukraine. He goes to them because he also feels a threat to democracy in Slovakia.

« Serbia has enough, really enough, » says the student Milica Marjanović, who speaks for the cycocoj with the media. « We want justice for people and later freedom of expression, free media and become a democratic country like we want to be. »

According to her, one of the goals of the protests is to draw attention to the functioning system and government. He does not want people in the country to live « as if nothing happened ».

The changes and impact of protests on the country is noted by Irena Stánović, who has recently come to Bratislava for an exchange stay. People also started changing the way of thinking, he thinks.

« For example, how the older people look at us. Most thought we were not interested in politics, » Strabovicova thinks.

They see similarity to Slovak protests

The event is also supported by the cycling route on Tyršovo embankment. For the participants of the convoy she seized sports Massages, cooked them lunch And people brought practical things to the collection, a medical assortment and food. Cyclists thus add supplies at the stops. The evening from Bratislava will go further to Vienna.

« We will also do service here, blow wheels and repair defects, » says Polina Drachenina, a college student who is involved in the cyclingwood.

The event was also supported by university students from the Student Platform for open culture. Ráchel Rimarčíková says that she admires Serbian congregates.

« What they do is a great job, not just a protest somewhere in the Balkans, » she said. « It is a job for democracy and Europe that is to be better and which we want better. »

Martin Left from Báčsky Petrovec in Vojvodina also perceives similarity to Slovak protests, which have been organized every Friday for the last few weeks.

« Young people in Serbia are protesting for the same, » he says. « Serbia wants to completely get rid of Russian influence and I perceive it in Slovakia. »

He also moved to Bratislava with his parents in 2019 and does not plan to leave Slovakia.