In a significant acknowledgment of their peaceful activism, Serbian students have been officially nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. This nomination was confirmed by writer and playwright Siniša Kovačević, who, along with lawyer Dijana Stojković, submitted the proposal to the Nobel Committee. Kovačević announced on social media, “We just received confirmation from the Nobel Committee that the nomination of Serbian students for the Nobel Peace Prize… has been accepted. They deserve it.”
The almost 3 months-long student-led protests began in response to the tragic collapse of a concrete canopy at the recently renovated Novi Sad main train station on November 1, 2024, which resulted in 15 fatalities. Students demanded the institutions claim the responsibility for the tragedy and legally prosecute them, organizing blockades and protests we wrote about previously, but the past week marked a significant turning point. After the biggest strike in the history of Serbia, the students blocked one of the most significant road in Belgrade on Monday, organized another massive protest on Tuesday and quickly planned a two-day-long walking trip from Belgrade to Novi Sad. These actions inspired so many other citizens in Serbia to support them, while everyone else across borders admired their heroism.
This weekend, three Croatian cities, including Zagreb, Split, and Osijek, organized peaceful gatherings to support Serbian students in which they also had symbolic 15 minutes of silence to honor the victims of the horrific Novi Sad accident. This kind of support events were held in various other countries on a global level, including neighbours like Bosnia & Herzegovina, Slovenia, and other countries like Austria, Greece, France, United Stated (Washington D.C.), and many others.
This Nobel Prize nomination marks their efforts even more significantly, it is the accomplishment that puts additional pressure on institutions signaling that they can not ignore the situation anymore. Hopefully, this is a close step to the students’ victory, which in this case, means justice and absolute constitutional rights.