On Monday, two gatherings took place in the schoolyard of an elementary school in Novi Sad - one in support of the protesting teachers and another advocating for students to return to school.

The first, a gathering of students and parents, was scheduled for 4 pm, with the second set for 5 pm, however, those in favor of resuming classes arrived early.

Police were stationed around the Sonja Marinkovic school, forming a barrier between the two groups.

N1’s reporter said that students and parents supporting the protesting teachers gathered in the schoolyard, but were soon pushed out by a group of individuals whose connection to the school’s students was uncertain.

Those opposing the protests in support of the teachers declined to speak to N1, identify themselves, or clarify whether they were parents of children attending the school. The reporter mentioned that some among them were officials from the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and directors of public enterprises.

The rally supporting the resumption of classes ended at 5:30 pm. As the police allowed individuals advocating for students to return to school to pass, members of the opposing group shouted “Leave!” from the other side.

There were no incidents at the event, with both the police unit and a gendarmerie presence ensuring security.

A parent from the group that had gathered at 4 pm told N1 that there had been warnings for weeks about certain individuals, allegedly concerned parents, attending.

“Only thirteen percent of the kids are going to school, the rest are not. So, the presence of this large crowd is questionable. This has nothing to do with worried parents – it’s a political gathering and a circus,” she said.