Demonstration in Defence of University Academic Autonomy Held in Belgrade 2026

Balgarianovinite.com Тhousands of people gathered outside the Rectorate of the University of Belgrade on Tuesday evening, following a call by students taking part in the blockade of faculties and demanding the convening of snap parliamentary elections.
The participants in the demonstration, held under the slogan “Knowledge Is Power,” called for a fight against what they described as the collapse of the education system and university autonomy. They accused the government of attempting to establish “direct political control” over faculties in Serbia’s four university cities.
Addressing the crowd, University of Belgrade Rector Prof. Vladan Dokic said that no government had ever “acted so persistently and maliciously toward the academic community simply because that community refused to remain silent.”
He spoke about the various forms of pressure faced by faculties, ranging from police actions to the dismissal of professors and economic pressure.
“I want to encourage members of the academic community to join the defence of university autonomy. I call on the competent institutions to ensure the autonomy of universities guaranteed by law,” Prof. Dokic said.
“I am a third-year engineering student, and it is very difficult for me to cope. I know I will succeed, but that is because I was raised to believe that knowledge is power, not violence. I am outraged to see actions taken from a position of force and malice against our professors who supported us during the blockades,” student Jovana Dragina told the Bulgarian News Agency.
At the end of 2024, students blocked more than 60 faculties across the country and led mass protests following a tragedy in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad. On November 1 of that year, a concrete canopy at the city’s railway station collapsed, killing 16 people and seriously injuring one.
The January 27 protest was held on the national and religious holiday dedicated to Saint Sava, the patron saint of schools and education.
After the Rector’s speech in front of the University of Belgrade Rectorate, protesters marched through central Belgrade toward the Church of Saint Sava.
The protest took place days after police entered the building of the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Novi Sad and forcibly removed students who had been organizing a blockade over the dismissal of a professor who had been an active participant in protests that have been ongoing for more than a year. Demonstration in Defence of University Academic Autonomy Held in Belgrade 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-01-28 08:13:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law