You have completed an academic year at your university, the first one after one that was practically blank due to student protests. Have they managed to restore a certain sense of normality in the classrooms?
In the previous academic year, we missed half of the classes as students blocked all buildings and faculties. The second semester was postponed to the summer, so we didn't have a break. But this year we have had normal classes. We started in October and now we are finishing the school year.
As the rector, you see firsthand the potential of your students. However, many feel that their future lies outside of Serbia. Are you afraid that this prolonged crisis will trigger a brain drain? Since the protests began, students said they do not want to leave the country but want it to change. They want changes regarding the rule of law, democracy, equal rights, and the fight against corruption. Initially, they had no political demands, they just wanted Serbia to be free in a democratic way. But the reality is that the country is not free. Therefore, after a few months of demanding democratic changes, they called for early parliamentary elections. We are waiting for them to be called and for the date. They want to stay in our country because they love it, but they want it to change democratically.
It has been 20 months since the tragedy at the Novi Sad train station. While the student movement has been preparing to announce its electoral list for months, Vucic has not set a date for the elections, although he has said he will resign as president and run again as prime minister. What are his intentions? The president changes his mind every day because, according to polls, the student movement has more support than his own party. That's why he delays and waits, believing that something will happen. He would like this movement to split, but the students remain united. They requested early elections in May of last year, so we have been waiting for over a year. The deadline for parliamentary elections is the end of next year, but his presidential term expires in May of next year, and being his second term, he cannot run for another. However, his goal is to move from the position of president to prime minister. The deadline to call the presidential elections is March or April of next year, so we do not know which elections will be called first. Perhaps they will be unified or parliamentary elections will be called first. There is another option for him, as he can move from the position of president to prime minister without the need for elections. Since he has a majority in Parliament, the Government can resign, and he can simply change positions. He has several options, but I don't think any of them are good for him because his popularity is declining, and support for the movement is increasing day by day.
The Government labels the students as "traitors" and "terrorists." What is your response? We have been a target from the beginning. The groups that receive the most attacks are the students and the university professors who supported them from the beginning. They attack us in government-affiliated media, saying things like the students are terrorists, Nazis, Taliban, want to ruin the state, and that the professors are foreign agents, among other absurdities. Most institutions in our country are crumbling and under the control of the ruling party. The only institutions that remain free are the University and the academic community. Despite the terrible things they say, popularity, support, and trust are increasing. The University of Belgrade is one of the most important institutions in our country and the region, with a very high ranking in all world rankings. So, despite the attacks, the citizens of Serbia trust and believe in it.
You have made it clear that you will join the student electoral list if asked. Would you be willing to lead it? It is not decided yet. The students will not reveal the names on the list before the elections are called. The list is still in preparation, almost finished, but they will not disclose names yet. When they asked me to participate, I said yes. And if the students ask me to take on a role in the future, I will, but so far, I am not a candidate, list leader, or anything like that. We will see what happens when the elections are called. What is certain is that from the very beginning, I support the students in their genuinely democratic way of thinking and their attempt to change our country according to European values.
On March 31, the Police entered the Rectorate accompanied by television cameras. That night, speaking from the balcony, you stated that the Government had run out of arguments. How did you experience that day, and what did it mean to see the Police violate the University's sovereignty? It is one of the attacks on the sovereignty and autonomy of the university because they have no right to enter unless requested by the dean or the rector. We found 40 criminal police officers entering our offices with 70 staff members working. We were held hostage from 10 in the morning until 10 at night. They went through all the rooms, opening every cabinet, every drawer, looking for something, I don't know what. And all this was broadcasted by the state television as if it were a show. It is just one of the ways they want to punish the University and show people that we are doing things that do not comply with the law. In the evening, many students and citizens gathered in front of the Rectorate to support us and endorse university autonomy. It turned into a boomerang that backfired: now everyone knows that all this was staged.
The Government accuses you of engaging in politics from within the University. What drove you, as the highest authority of the most prestigious academic institution in Serbia, to publicly support these student protests? It is said that university people should be educated, stay quiet, and not speak about society's problems, but I believe that is a mistake. Our role as university professors is not just to teach students to be engineers, doctors, or lawyers. Our role is to teach them to have a critical opinion about society, to maintain that critical spirit, to transform society, and to point out what is wrong and what needs to change. I think this is the University's main social role, and that is why we, as professors, teach students to act this way. I am an architect by training, a professor at the Faculty of Architecture, and currently the rector. But when we face attacks on academic freedom, social rights, and our university autonomy, every step we take becomes political. Whatever we say, we do it to defend our university and its autonomy, and if they consider it a political stance, we have to fight on that ground because we are the ones being attacked. We did not start this; it was our Government that started attacking us and seeing us as enemies because they know that right now, the student movement is the country's main political option. We had not had such a strong political option in the last 14 years, and now they fear that there will be a more important political actor in the upcoming elections. Our opposition parties are very weak; they are very divided into many groups, so right now, they do not represent a significant political actor. This movement is, and that is why they see us as their enemies, although we, of course, do not see ourselves that way.
What price is the University of Belgrade paying for its unwavering support for student protests? We suffer different types of attacks. One is physical, like the entry into the University's facilities. Many professors and students have been beaten during peaceful demonstrations, and many have been arrested and still face pending charges. Another is the media attack; our media are mostly linked to power and say terrible things every day. And I am not only talking about journalists but also high-ranking officials of the country. For example, one of the ministers said on public television that the Police have the right to kill students. Another told parents, 'Do not send your children to public universities because they will return in coffins,' and similar atrocities. Many of us also face criminal and administrative charges. For example, there are three criminal charges against me. Then there is financial pressure: they are cutting our funds. They are altering the proportion between teaching and research to reduce our salaries. Now we cannot participate in international projects because we cannot receive the money to execute them. They resort to many financial avenues, but we remain united. We will not take a step back.
What do you anticipate will be the next steps? The students do not want to present themselves as a political party but as a citizens' group. They are preparing a list of 250 people who will represent them in those elections, and there will be no students. They said, 'We do not want power. We just want our country to change. And we will include in the list people we trust.' Most will be university professors, but not exclusively. There will also be lawyers, doctors, farmers, high school teachers, actors, athletes... They are also developing the electoral program in several working groups and have experts. They were observers in local elections in 10 municipalities a few months ago, so they have already gone through the experience of an electoral process. Now they know how to participate, what details to pay attention to, and how to organize. And, as mentioned before, according to some polls, support for this movement is greater than the support for the ruling party, the SNS. Therefore, they expect to have a positive outcome. There is also the issue of opposition parties. The students asked them not to run and to support their list to create a referendum-like atmosphere, similar to what happened in Hungary.