Students from Novi Sad invited their colleagues and citizens from all over Serbia to join the protest. Students participating in the blockade of faculties throughout Serbia, as well as citizens, joined the call, BGNES reported.

The large-scale protest, organized by Novi Sad students participating in the blockade, begins today at 7:00 p.m. local time (8:00 p.m. Bulgarian time) at the intersection of Strazilovska Street and Tsar Lazar Boulevard.

The protest is a reaction to the violation of university autonomy and increasingly frequent police violence.

At the intersection of Strazhilovska Street and Tsar Lazar Boulevard, on September 1, after the commemorative walk, police and gendarmerie chased citizens and students, beat them, and pushed them toward the campus with stun grenades and batons.

On one side of the intersection is the Faculty of Sports and Physical Education, and on the other is the university campus.

Not far from there is the Faculty of Philosophy, in front of which a police cordon has been in place day and night for eight days.

Since last week, the dean of the Faculty of Philosophy, Milivoj Alanovic, has been in the building of this educational institution, which, at his request, has been secured by the police in full riot gear.

Since then, there have been protests in front of the faculty, as the dean entered the building with several professors, expelled the students who had been blocking the institution for the past nine months, and locked himself in the faculty.

On Monday, September 1, at around 5 a.m., the dean of the Faculty of Sports and Physical Education, Patrick Dryd, together with the police and several masked individuals, stormed the building.

Draid said he would remain there until he felt safe, which means that the police cordon is still outside the facility.

The students invited their colleagues and citizens from all over Serbia to join the protest.

"Serbia, can you hear us? See you on Friday!" the students wrote on social media.

The call for this protest was soon joined by students who blocked faculties across Serbia, as well as civil assemblies.

In response to the announced protest, the professional association of the police appealed to all participants in public life—citizens, students, and colleagues from the service—to refrain from further escalating tensions and to turn to dialogue, understanding, and common interest: preserving peace, dignity, and safety for all.

They say that police officers are not just uniformed employees: they are fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, friends.

"They are part of this society, just like the students who express their views and the citizens who seek justice. At times when emotions run high, we remind you that the purpose of the police is not to use force, but to serve the people," emphasizes the Professional Police Association, calling on citizens to refrain from insulting, obstructing, or provoking law enforcement officers.

"Every word spoken with emotion leaves a mark, and every gesture can be misinterpreted. Protest is a right, but also a responsibility," the association emphasizes.

At the same time, they appeal to their fellow police officers:

"Be restrained. Be an example. Be a shield, not a weapon."

The Professional Police Association stresses that the use of force should be a last resort, not a reflex.

"Every intervention must be considered, proportionate, and in accordance with the law — but also with humanity," they say.

They add that the Professional Police Association stands with its colleagues, but also with the people, because "there is no security without trust, and there is no trust without mutual respect."

Since, on the days when the large protests took place on March 15 and June 28, Serbian Railways canceled all trains to Belgrade due to, as it was stated at the time, bomb threats, the question arises whether rail traffic to Novi Sad will function normally before tonight's protest.

At around 7:20 a.m. on Friday, the Serbian Railways call center claimed that trains from Belgrade to Novi Sad would run according to schedule, with the exception of the last departure in the evening, which was canceled.

There is no announcement on the Serbian Railways website about the interruption of traffic to Novi Sad. | BGNES