People have been protesting against the government in Serbia for more than two week now, but there is not much to talk about this in the media, not even in Serbia.

Thousands of young people, students and other citizens of Serbia have been walking on the streets of cities to protest against the government and the recently elected president Aleksandar Vučić. The elections were held on Sunday, the 2nd of April when Vučić has won 55% of the votes. The protesters say the election have been “undemocratic”.

In the night after the elections, a Facebook event called “Protest against the dictatorship” was created. It was not sure how many people would show up, but during the first days, there were hundreds of people, not only in Belgrade but also in the other cities like Novi Sad, Niš, Kraljevo and more. The protests are not led by any political party and they continued to be held every day at 6 pm, with thousands of people joining.

Some of the protestors said “You are not my president”, “We do not want a dictatorship, we want democracy”, “Against the system”, as well as many others criticising the media and the presidential campaign of Aleksandar Vučić.

Nikola Jekić, from AEGEE-Novi Sad, says that he is happy to see so many young people are actively participating in the protests: “They are full of enthusiasm and they want to make things better.  Most importantly – we do not want any kind of violence. Similar public gatherings were also held in the previous years, but this time it became just too massive for the government to ignore us.”.

On Saturday 8th of April, the biggest protest so far was held – with thousands of people on the streets of Belgrade. This time, the protest was supported by the syndicates of the police and the army of Serbia because of, as they say, “unsatisfying condition of the security sector and the conditions in the society”.

Isidora Braljinac, a member of AEGEE-Belgrade, told us about the huge response of people to that protest: “The number of people is reaching several thousand per day, but that one reached more than 60.000, which was reported by very few TV stations and newspaper.”. She also says that the youth of Serbia is not happy because of the fact that their homeland is being destroyed in many ways, which is why they are almost forced to go to other countries to look for a better future: “Government, media and many other institutions are ignoring us more than ever. If they say something, they say that we are hooligans, drug users, alcoholics and that we “probably have too much free time”. It is not about spending free time on the streets, while it is raining, it is about freedom.”.

For years now, one of the problems in Serbia has been the censorship of the media. During the presidential elections, almost every newspaper printed the logo of Aleksandar Vučić on their front page on the last day of the elections.  The problem is culminating since the citizens are protesting because of this. The public service broadcasters  – RTS (Radio-television of Serbia) and RTV (Radio-television of Vojvodina) are not reporting anything about the protests. They are giving partial information or no information at all.

Danilo Đalović from AEGEE-Niš, says that there is the same problem with the media on the local level: A few local media from Niš are reporting about the protests, and the TV-stations only mention it occasionally, but they are all under the control of the ruling party.”. He also adds that he thinks young people in his city find this very important: “They do not want to give up because this is actually a fight for freedom and democracy, a fight for the freedom of opinion, speech and basic human rights. The young people should not have to leave their country to have a better life, they want to change the current state of things and to create a better future for themselves.”.

Some of the requirements of the protestors are: abolition of the dictatorship and resignations of the political elite together with Aleksandar Vučić, resignations of members of REM (Regulatory authority for electronic media), RIK (Republic electoral commission), the head of RTS (Radio-television of Serbia) and the president of National Assembly of Serbia.

Pictures: Point of view by Lilit

Written by Gordana Tosic, AEGEE-Novi Sad

AEGEE-Beograd was established 18 years ago during a year of crisis. But that did not demotivate them and they managed to become one of the biggest locals in their area. Recently the members did a great job by helping during the floods in Serbia. That’s why AEGEE-Beograd deserves the title of Local of the Month of June! Here is what Jelena Stankovic, the current President, said to us. 

The AEGEEan: Tell us the history of the antenna: how old is it, do you have many active members, how did it all started?
Jelena: AEGEE-Beograd officially became a member in 1996, in Budapest, during a period that was really hard for our country and the region. For example when our members got back from Budapest they needed to register the organization, but nobody had an ID except Vuk Tošić and our local was registered for 3 years on his home address. The funny thing is that he was there by accident and has never become a member of AEGEE-Beograd. Since then, we organized more than 150 projects and we are one of the most active student organizations in Belgrade. After those years of crisis, AEGEE-Beograd started attracting more and more people and became one of the biggest locals in the region. At this moment we have around 20 active and more than 50 members on our list. This year the number of active members has grown, especially during the organization of the New Year’s event.

The AEGEEan: What is special about AEGEE-Beograd?
Jelena: Like in every local I think it is our members that make us so special, these amazing people who are growing together with AEGEE-Beograd. We survived some difficult times, and “built bridges” even where it seemed impossible.

The AEGEEan: What do you think is the greatest achievement of your local?
Jelena: As I said, our antenna was established during the years of crisis in the Balkan region, and in those years it was very hard to be a young student in Serbia or any other neighboring country. But during this time we made connections, friendships and relations that are stronger by each year that passes. Our biggest achievement is that we made an example of what AEGEE really is: a group of young people who are working together and trying to make a better future for all.

The AEGEEan: You were really active during the period of floods. How is the situation in Serbia right now?
Jelena: First of all, we want to say thank you to all of our friends from the whole of Europe, who were supporting and helping us. One month has past and now the real work needs to be done. A lot of people died, cities were destroyed, and the response of the government is bad as always. The damage is really big and for some it is going to take years to recover. We hope these people will not be forgotten, and AEGEE-Beograd is still working and trying to help.

The AEGEEan: Other Serbian locals also helped during the floods period. Do you have any special collaboration between the antennae in Serbia?
Jelena: Not just from Serbia, antennae from the whole region helped to create awareness about the floods, and organized some kind of help. It wasn’t just in AEGEE, during those days the borders were also flooded and countries worked together as one.

The AEGEEan: What are your plans for the future? Are you going to have any activities after summer?
Jelena: Actually we have some big plans for the next year, but for now we are keeping it just for us. Traditional NYE is one of the certainties. Also we are looking for twin antenna. On the local level we are going to try to help our members improve themselves through trainings, and establish cooperation with other student organizations in Belgrade.

The AEGEEan: Your Summer University with AEGEE-Zadar and AEGEE-Zagreb is next. How is the preparation going? Are you ready?
Jelena: After the floods we got a little bit scared, and we were thinking what is going to happen, but we are back on track and awesome as always. It is always a pleasure to work with our friends from Zadar and Zagreb, and we hope our participants will recognize our good and hard work. You can never be ready enough for TSU, but I think we are set for another great adventure. Last Balkan Funk set the bar really high but I think this team is ready to rock it once again.

The AEGEEan: Is there anything you’d like to add?
Jelena: AEGEE-Beograd is very proud of its members who were working hard during all these years and thankful to all our friends who we hosted here or met in Europe. Being an AEGEEean it is an extraordinary experience and AEGEE-Beograd is very happy to be a part of this big family. See you in Beograd!

Written by Lia Tuska, AEGEE-Sofia

Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and eastern Croatia have been hit the past days by a record flooding, and the state of emergency has been declared in some parts of both countries. More than 100,000 homes have been evacuated so far, and it has become one of the biggest natural disasters in the region.

Whereas the media from outside the Balkans have paid little attention to the devastating floods in the region, our AEGEE members in the area have been actively involved in awareness-creating and fundraising for the cause. They are sharing information on social media to raise awareness and spending their days volunteering and getting supplies for those affected. The AEGEEan has talked to the president of AEGEE-Beograd, Jelena Stanković, about the actions they are carrying and how can AEGEE members from all over the Network contribute.

Here are some of the numbers you can use to help (calling codes – Serbia: +381, Croatia: +385, Bosnia and Herzegovina: +387).

The AEGEEan: For those who are not aware of the situation – can you explain briefly what is happening and how it all started?

Jelena Stanković: Three months’ worth of rain fell on the region in just four days last week, creating the worst floods since records began 120 years ago. Rapidly rising rivers surged into homes, sometimes reaching up to the second floors and sending people climbing to rooftops for shelter. In Bosnia and Serbia 25 people have died, but warned the toll could rise. Tens of thousands of homes were left without electricity or drinking water. Hundreds were also evacuated in Croatia and one person was reported dead. Officials said more than 16,000 people have been evacuated from flood-hit regions in Serbia, many finding shelter in schools and sports halls. Lines of mattresses covered the floors of schools im Belgrade , with frightened survivors describing unstoppable torrents that surged in a matter of minutes. Houses are erased of the map in the Serbian city of Krupanj. And the threats of the diseases caused by floods are the next thing to be worried about.

The AEGEEan: Which impact has it had so far in Serbia and Bosnia?

Jelena: Yesterday we were in the supermarket to buy the necessary things for evacuated people, and all around we could see others running and asking what they could buy and where they could take it. People don’t have that much but they want to help, they know that their little for someone is a lot. A lot of voluntaries are sent back because too many applied. Everybody is trying to give their best to help.

But I think the fact that all Balkan (former Yugoslavia) countries are working together is the most powerful picture of this tragedy. Water washed the borders; we can do so much united for the people in need. I feel so proud today of all this people, and I know I am not alone.

The AEGEEan: How have the local/national governments from these countries have reacted?

Jelena: This is a delicate question, because a lot of people are criticizing governments for not being prepared on time, even if they had some warnings. But again people started organizing by themselves and did a lot of work. The army, Red Cross, the Fire Department and the Police are showing a lot of courage and most of them haven’t slept for four days. Some of them lost their lives by saving others’.

The AEGEEan: And what about you, have you been affected directly by the floods?

Jelena: In Belgrade, some parts were affected by the floods, as Obrenovac, where 12 people died and counting, but I think all our members are safe. My family house is flooded and during two days I couldn’t contact my parents most of the time. Now they are safe, but a lot of families are still trapped in the water.

AEGEE-Beograd’s Twitter account has been actively informing about the happenings.

The AEGEEan: How did you decide that AEGEE-Beograd had to be actively involved? And when did you start with all the activities?

Jelena: It was a natural thing to do, when something like this happens you only feel the urge to help. We had an urgent board meeting and decided to use money from our budget and buy what was needed. A lot of our members are volunteering in the shelters. With the Alumni of AEGEE-Beograd we also started an action to collect money for the endangered. This is just a begging. Whole towns are destroyed and a lot of people need help.

The AEGEEan: You are focusing a lot on raising awareness, especially by social media, how are you doing it?

Jelena: We use Facebook and Twitter to share the news and delegate people and goods where its needed. On our private profiles we are sharing numbers of accounts where people can donate money from abroad. Donations don’t need to be big, but if we have a big number of donations we can make an impact. In this point any help is welcome. We have also got in touch with locals from Bosnia and Croatia to see what we can do together.

The AEGEEan: And which other volunteering activities have you done?

Jelena: As I said we are volunteering in the shelters, helping with sorting and caring of the evacuated people. The guys are working on the dams, because the waves are coming.

The AEGEEan: Are you cooperating with any other NGOs?

Jelena: We are in contact with other student organizations as ESN and AIESEC, and we are trying to organize something together and raise money.

The AEGEEan: How can AEGEE members from all over the Network help?

Jelena: We received a lot of messages from our friends from all the Network, and we can just say thank you. Some of them had some ideas and shared them on the AEGEE-L mailing list. One of the ideas is to donate the money on the same way that AEGEE-Beograd did, therefore from our budgets or SU fees. We are also going to have an action to collect money for the flooded areas; there are going to be open accounts where people can donate and help.

But I think we shouldn’t just think for today. Unfortunatelym there is a lot of tragedies all around of Europe and we need to be able to help somehow. I had the idea of a Humanitarian Fund of AEGEE which can be financed from the fees that locals pay for the registration. I know this money is needed but we can save in many ways, we can use online booklets, one t-shirt can be someone’s lunch, we can cut the travel costs, there is always a way.

The AEGEEan: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Jelena: I just want to say thank you to all of our friends from all over Europe who supported us, but we also need AEGEE-Europe to react not just for us, but for all the people in the future who will be endangered. Shares and likes are helping but they are not feeding the people. We can do so much more. People from Bosnia and Serbia need your help; your one coffee is a hot meal or a warm bed for them.

The thoughts of the members of The AEGEEan team go to all people affected by this disaster. We are truly amazed by the big effort our AEGEE members in the region are doing and the awareness they are creating!

Written by Anna Gumbau, AEGEE-Barcelona