#blockades

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Blockading factories is probably one of the most effective thing people in the UK (and elsewhere in the Western world) can do to support Palestine right now.

Donations that will actually reach the ground are also good.

I'm not saying marches and other actions aren't worthwhile- I do think they are. If a senior UK politician called for a ceasefire, that would be something. And obviously if we could persuade the UK government to ban the export of arms and military parts to Israel, that would be huge.

But in the meantime, if we can stop arms from being built, if we can slow down the Israeli war machine at all, that may save lives.

And the more people who turn up to these actions, the better- this makes them safer and more effective.

July 6th, 2025

Užice, Serbia

Citizens of Užice breaking the police cordon on the road that connects to the Užice-Požega Highway.

Since the "Vidimo se na Vidovdan" protest held on June 28th 2025 in Belgrade and the brutal police attack on the protestors, citizens of Serbia have taken to blocking important roads in their vicinity as a form of protest.

In the city of Užice, protestors have set up a blockade at the suburban settlement of Krčagovo, blocking the highway. Police were immediately deployed to prevent them from going any further and to try and break up the blockade, but the protestors pushed through

Unfortunately, this gave the police the excuse to attack the protestors, using brutal force and pepper spray. Two young men were arrested, so the protestors headed towards the Užice Police Station, where they stayed until the young men were released.

You can read about the events of that day and see more photos here (I didn't want to steal the good work of the local reporters):

On November 1st, 2024, a tragedy occurred in the city of Novi Sad that shook the whole of Serbia.

The collapse of a canopy at a railway station killed fourteen people on the spot, including three children, and fifteen victims were eventually confirmed after the death of a woman who was in serious condition for more than two weeks after the incident.

The railway station building in Novi Sad is the work of architect Imre Farkaš and his collaborators from the project studio "Arhitekt". It was built back in 1964 in eight months, while its reconstruction lasted three years.

The Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, Goran Vesić, pointed out that the Novi Sad railway station was reconstructed in two phases.

The reconstruction of the said station began in October 2021, so the station was officially opened for the first time in the midst of the election campaign in March 2022. Soon it was closed again due to works.

The reconstructed building of the railway station was officially opened on July 5th 2024 - for the second time.

A few days after the tragedy, Goran Vesić, resigned and said "that he does not accept the blame for the accident that happened". But who will if not those responsible?

The public is rightly demanding explanations.

This is what the students of today's Serbia are fighting for. For the past three months, students across the country are blocking the work of faculties and colleges. The wave of student protests is spreading widely across Serbia, demanding accountability, demanding change.

The students highlighted demands that they still do not give up.

1. Publication of complete documentation on the reconstruction of the Railway Station in Novi Sad, which is currently illegally hidden, bearing in mind that it is a reconstruction of a public facility and that these documents must be public.

An insight into the documentation would show which omissions were made during the design, execution and supervision of works, and which the current government is trying to hide. Three months have passed since the collapse of the canopy, and the public still does not know and has not been informed about the responsibility of specific people and institutions that were involved in the implementation of this project.

Hiding documentation raises suspicions of irregularities and corruption, thereby jeopardizing trust in public projects. Students demand the immediate publication of all contracts, documentation, reports on supervision and quality of works, in order to clearly establish responsibility and prevent the repetition of similar events. Transparency in such situations is necessary to ensure the safety of citizens.

2. Confirmation by competent authorities of the identity of all persons for whom there is a basic suspicion that they physically attacked students and professors, as well as the initiation of criminal proceedings against them. Also dismissal of the mentioned persons if they pretend to be public officials.

Recorded attacks on students and professors during protests require an adequate response from the competent authorities. Physical violence against participants in public gatherings seriously threatens the rights and freedoms of citizens.

Students request the Ministry of Internal Affairs to identify the perpetrators, file criminal charges and ensure the prosecution of those responsible. Timely action in this case is crucial for preserving the basic rights and safety of all participants in public activities.

3. Dismissal of criminal charges against arrested and detained students, as well as suspension of already initiated criminal proceedings.

During the protests, many students and citizens were detained or arrested, and some were charged without clear evidence. Some spent up to 23 days in detention, in inhumane conditions. Detention without a legal basis is a violation of the right to freedom of expression and assembly.

The students demand that all accusations that are not based on evidence be immediately dismissed, and those responsible for unjustified deprivation of liberty be held accountable. Such behavior sends a negative message and creates an atmosphere of fear, which is unacceptable in a democratic society.

4. Increase of the budget for higher education in the amount of 20%.

State faculties deserve better conditions. An increase in the budget is necessary to ensure higher quality education and dignified conditions for students and employees.

Blockades began at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade in the second half of November. Unlike earlier protests, the student revolt does not have a single organizer or 'face' of the protest, instead they decide everything by voting at the plenum, in a kind of direct democracy.

However, when they are on the streets, it seems that everyone knows their duty.

Although they do not have a center from which to coordinate blockades at individual faculties, the way they are organized is similar.

While students at the end of the 1990s, when a large protest was organized due to the theft of local elections during the regime of Slobodan Milošević, agreed live on the next steps, today's generations of students are technologically oriented.

On various applications and platforms of social networks, they share information about the schedule of events at the university and this is how they most often agree on shifts at blockades and other actions.

So far, there have been countless protests across the country without any violence. Students want to peacefully achieve their goal and the change they are striving for.

They want their country to be safe for everyone, to be able to rely on their government to do its job. They have opened many doors for older and newer generations to join in and fight for justice without fear.

I believe that voting is important. if you can vote, vote. I also believe that our system is oppressive and colonial. if you think that activism starts and ends with voting, you don't know what activism means. if you think that voting will bring about decolonization, you don't know what decolonization is. if you think voting will bring about police abolition or prison abolition, you don't know what those entail. if you think voting can end capitalism, you don't understand how our system works.

voting, however important, brings about incremental change. while that is better than no change, it is not enough. community organizing, mutual aid, protests, blockades, etc. are essential to creating the kind of change that politicians will never do.