"Let’s meet again": Students organize statehood day protest in Kragujevac and Orasac

Exactly one year ago, the students met for the same reason and with the same demands during the "Meet on Sretenje" rally. At that time, they blocked the central streets of Kragujevac for 15 hours—one hour for each of the 15 victims who had perished at that point following the collapse of the railway station canopy in Novi Sad. Another person later succumbed to their injuries, bringing the total death toll to 16.

Sunday's event began with a protest in Kragujevac featuring speeches from members of the academic community, including Jelene Kleut, the dismissed professor from the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad. A 16-minute silence was observed for those killed in the Novi Sad tragedy. Following the speeches, a column of cars is planned to travel toward Orasac, where the main part of the program will take place.

The date carries deep historical weight. On this day in 1835, the Principality of Serbia adopted the Sretenje Constitution, the first constitution in modern Serbian history. It was authored by Dimitrije Davidovic, secretary to Prince Milos Obrenovic, modeled after French and Belgian constitutions. However, citing opposition from Austria and Russia, who lacked understanding for the document's liberalism, the Prince abolished the constitution in March of that year.

Symbolically, on February 15th, the day of the first modern Serbian constitution and the start of the First Serbian Uprising, students will mark the occasion in Kragujevac and Orasac.

The demands of the students who have been protesting since November 2024 have not yet been met, and those responsible for the deaths of 16 people at the Novi Sad Railway Station have yet to be prosecuted.