On January 24, 2025, a driver drove their car into a crowd of university student-led demonstrators during a protest march in Belgrade, striking two.

One of the two students was carried for several yards on the hood of the car before falling and hitting her head on the curb. The injured student was transported to the Emergency Center, where she arrived conscious and communicative.

The protesters stopped the driver and held them until the police arrived. Initially, the driver was charged with attempted aggravated murder, but the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade later reclassified the indictment as aggravated offenses against public safety. As a result of reduced charges, the driver was released from detention pending trial.

The protests occurred as part of the student–led nationwide anti-corruption movement, “Stop, Serbia,” to demand better governmental accountability in the wake of the deadly collapse of the Novi Sad railway station canopy, which killed 16 people in November 2024. The Serbian government mounted a campaign to discredit the protesters, triggering violence against students and faculty members. There were several instances of attacks like this one, in which members of the public drove their cars into crowds of protesting students (see report).

Scholars at Risk is concerned about a violent attack on student protesters. Members of the public must refrain from violence, especially on campus, and respect the right to freedom of association and freedom of expression. In addition to harm to the immediate victims, violent attacks on students undermine academic freedom and democratic society generally.

Sources:
*SAR identified this incident in data made publicly available by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED)
https://www.glasamerike.net/a/automobil-udario-studentkinju-na-blokadi-/7949142.html
https://www.glasamerike.net/a/incident-na-blokadi-devojka-autom-udarila-studentkinju-optužena-za-pokušaj-ubistva/7949177.html
https://apnews.com/article/serbia-protests-vucic-belgrade-strike-jagodina-91718d6702f44488fe52a7231ddcaa88
https://balkaninsight.com/2025/01/24/tens-of-thousands-join-serbian-protests-amid-nationwide-strike-effort/
https://vreme.com/en/vesti/pregazena-studentkinja-na-novom-beogradu/
https://www.nin.rs/english/news/76390/charges-requalified-against-woman-who-injured-two-students-with-her-vehicle-during-protest
https://serbiantimes.info/en/after-the-amended-indictment-the-girl-who-ran-over-a-student-in-new-belgrade-released-from-detention/