Vučić calls Novi Sad victims’ 16-minute tribute a “satanic ritual“

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has described the 16-minute silent tributes held for the victims of the Novi Sad railway station disaster as a “satanic ritual”, as student-led protests continue to challenge his government.

The memorials were initiated by citizens and students following the collapse of the station canopy in the northern Serbian city in November 2024, which killed 16 people. Participants block central streets in Serbian cities and observe 16 minutes of silence, one minute for each victim.

“There are no such customs in any nation, where a year and a half later you stand and observe 16 minutes of silence in the middle of the street. A purely satanic ritual that exists nowhere,” Vučić said on Monday.

Describing the student memorials as a “satanic ritual” marks another step in Vučić’s rhetorical escalation, in which the student movement is increasingly portrayed not simply as a political opponent but as a threat to public order and traditional values.

He was speaking after Serbian students announced a new protest in the western city of Valjevo to mark one year since police violence during an anti-government demonstration there on 14 August 2025.

Mass protests took place in Valjevo last year as part of the wider wave of public anger that followed the Novi Sad disaster. The student movement has since become a major force in Serbia’s political crisis, organising blockades at more than 60 university faculties across the country.

Vučić also said he would continue to stand by the police, whom he said had endured “terror” for a year and a half because of the demonstrations.

“I will always be on the side of our police officers, who are doing one of the most difficult jobs,” he said.

The student movement has announced a rally in Valjevo on Friday, 14 August, at 19:00 local time under the slogan “Valjevo Remembers”, marking one year since the protest that ended with scenes of police violence and dozens of arrests.

Оно што се догодило не сме бити заборављено! pic.twitter.com/KOU0TqZk9S
— Studenti_u_blokadi (@studentblokade) August 9, 2026

In a post on Instagram, the students said that “what happened must not be forgotten”, adding the rhetorical question: “Who do you call when the police break the law?”

Valjevo remembers

The 2025 protest in Valjevo was marked by scenes of police violence. According to regional broadcaster N1, riot police used batons and kicked and hit a young man who was lying motionless on the asphalt.

The “Valjevo case” (Valjevski slučaj) refers to the police violence and subsequent escalation of protests in the city in August 2025. It has become one of the most significant episodes of the student-led protests against Vučić’s government.

On 14 August 2025, an anti-government protest was held in Valjevo. It was initially peaceful, but police later intervened. Videos showing riot police officers beating and kicking a young man lying on the ground triggered particularly strong public outrage.

I’m closely following events in Serbia, where human rights concerns persist. I deplore the police’s disproportionate force in Valjevo yesterday evening and reiterate my call on the authorities to avoid excessive force, end arbitrary arrests, and de-escalate the situation pic.twitter.com/TMd25EMKF1
— Commissioner for Human Rights (@CommissionerHR) August 15, 2025

According to subsequent testimonies and investigations, the violence did not end on the streets. BBC and Danas reported on a 25-year-old man who said he was also beaten after being taken into police custody.

The incident triggered a new wave of protests. On 16 August, clashes intensified in Valjevo, with protesters attacking police with stones, sticks and Molotov cocktails. Buildings belonging to the municipality and prosecution service, as well as the local headquarters of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), were damaged. Police deployed gendarmerie units and arrested several participants.

For Vučić and the authorities, Valjevo has become an example of how the protest movement allegedly escalated into violence and an attempt at destabilisation. For students and Serbia’s opposition, however, Valjevo has become a symbol of police repression against protesters.

One year after the events, students are organising a major rally in Valjevo on 14 August 2026 under the slogan “Valjevo Remembers”, arguing that no one has yet been held accountable for the violence.

In May, BIRN published the results of a forensic medical analysis of 25 people injured during the police operation in Valjevo.

The experts identified injuries which, according to their assessment, indicated that the use of force had in a number of cases been “punitive”, rather than necessary to deal with an immediate threat. One of those injured had sustained injuries consistent with at least 28 blows from a police baton.

Another night of protests across Serbia: police deploy tear gas and stun grenades

Sources: N1, Vreme, Danas, BTA, BGNES, BIRN

Caption: On 14 August 2025, an anti-government protest was held in Valjevo. It was initially peaceful, but police later intervened. Videos showing riot police officers beating and kicking a young man lying on the ground triggered particularly strong public outrage. [@CommissionerHR on X]