Serbian protesting students ran to Brussels after cycling to France attracting EU attention
Novi Sad of Serbia – Serbia's protest students started a new effort after cycling to France on Friday – nearly 200,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) toward the Brussels, aiming to attract the EU to attract the EU's legal domination over their months of corruption and Balkan countries.
More than 20 students set out from Sad Sad, a northern Serbian city, Sad Sad, and lasted for 18 days in a relay style. Students cheered hundreds of people and headed to Osijek, eastern Croatia, the first stop of their journey.
“It's really hard, but we'll do it, we have to do it,” admitted Nikola Kojcin.
College students have been a key force behind Serbia's rattled populist president Aleksandar Vucic's national anti-greed movement. He formally led Serbia to an EU member, but was accused of stifling democracy and freedom while promoting ties with Russia and China.
Many pro-democracy Serbs are disappointed by their lukewarm reactions to the increasingly authoritarian approach of Vucic. The students said their campaign for EU headquarters was a “reminder” group to uphold their values of freedom, dignity and rule of law.
Vucic repeatedly accuses student protesters of “color revolution” and works to “destroy Serbia” under foreign orders. He told whistleblower TV on Thursday night that Serbia had been “attacked” and accused the protests of causing huge damage to the country’s economy.
Students said in a press release that they “not demand to be rescued by the EU” but “a clear reminder to Europe: democratic values… must be maintained not only in official declarations, but in public awareness and collective action”.
Runners are carrying letters they hope to read in EU institutions, “so that people can hear more about Serbia's deep political and social crisis,” explains student Aleksa Dimitrijevic.
About six months ago, the collapse of the canopy at a deadly train station in Novi Sad triggered almost daily demonstrations, killing 16 people, while critics blamed negligence and disrespect for safety regulations, which rampantly corrupted in state-supported infrastructure projects.
Symbolically, student runners embarked on a marathon trip from the now closed central railway station to Brussels, and on November 1, a large amount of concrete crashed when people standing or underneath were warned.
Many protesters in Serbia have been attacked in a traffic jam and police have been questioned over the past few months.
Students who were cycling to Strasbourg, France met with officials from the European Council and the European Parliament in early April. Upon arrival in Brussels, students hope to meet with European Commission and European Parliament officials.
