Professors join student protests: "It is time for a new era"

In Novi Sad, following a march attended by a large number of people, professors, citizens, and students gathered to pay tribute to the 15 victims of the tragedy at the Railway Station. Afterward, they initiated a protest march titled "4,000 Teachers, 4,000 Steps" in support of the students.

"It is our duty as professors to unconditionally support students in their demands for a better and fairer society," stated Professor Ljubica Oparnica of the Faculty of Education in Sombor, speaking in front of the Rectorate in Novi Sad.

"It is time for a new era, and we professors, together with the students, must be the driving force behind these changes. Believe me, change is coming," she emphasized in her address to those gathered.

"In our country today, the law does not apply to everyone. When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes a duty. We professors stand, and will continue to stand, with our students until all their demands are met," Oparnica said.

She also expressed pride and admiration for the way students are conducting their fight—based on principles of perseverance and solidarity, demonstrating how to demand and remain steadfast.

Students occupying the Faculty of Law at the University of Kragujevac decided during a plenary session on the evening of January 17 to implement a complete blockade, according to the N1 portal.

"The decision was made because the Academic-Scientific Council meeting, where the postponement of the January exam period was supposed to be confirmed, was not held as scheduled.

The decision means that professors are prohibited from entering the faculty, except as speakers invited by the students to participate in panel discussions.

'No faculty services will be operational,' the students’ statement from the Faculty of Law blockade reads.

In the center of Zemun, a 15-minute traffic blockade was also held today, commemorating the victims of the canopy collapse in Novi Sad. As on the previous day, the event was monitored by traffic police, who prevented drivers from approaching the protest participants.

The blockade, which saw around 200 participants, concluded without incidents or provocations.