“Institutions again failed to do their job”: Professors abandon intersection blockade outside Govt headquarters

As they put it, “the crossroads has given the answer - the fight for the University continues.”

“For anyone wondering whether the institutions in this country are doing their job, our protest at the crossroads has provided the answer. Instead of dialogue, we were ignored, instead of solutions - the imposition of a pretense of normalcy. For 17 days, we stood in front of the Serbian Government, at the crossroads, demanding the fulfillment of lawful and easily achievable requests. The first demand has been partially met. There is a hint of progress on the third. But the second—the one concerning the decree on work standards—is still being treated as something to ‘freeze’ rather than abolish,” they said.

The professors emphasized that “the decree should never have been adopted with the 5/35 changes and its flawed procedure, let alone remain in force in any form.”

“We see it as a form of blackmail and control. We reject ‘freezing’ it as a solution. Once again, the institutions have failed to do their job. So, we are informing the public: on Thursday, June 26, we are leaving the intersection. The responsibility remains with the other side. We are moving forward—using different methods, in different places, but with the same goal,” they said.

As initiators of the Faculties at the Crossroads action, they decisively advocate, they say, for the University to regain the status it deserves and for professors never again to find themselves at a crossroads.

“We thank the students, citizen assemblies, war veterans, bikers, IT activists, informal teacher and educator groups, and all the citizens who supported us in our efforts. We are joining the student rally on June 28 and supporting the call for snap parliamentary elections. We invite everyone who has backed the professors, associates, artists, researchers, and scientists to join us in pursuing the same goal,” they said, adding that “the crossroads has become a symbol of the academic community’s voice, which can no longer be ignored. It is now up to the Serbian Government to meet our demands—fully, without delay, and without political maneuvering.”

The Faculties at the Crossroads protest in front of the Serbian Government headquarters was organized by a group of university professors and associates under the Belgrade University in Rebellion initiative, with support from the Forum of the University of Arts in Belgrade, the Free University of Novi Sad, the Free University of Kragujevac, the Free University of Nis, the Free State University of Novi Pazar, and the Proaktiv group from the University of Pristina, temporarily based in Kosovska Mitrovica.