NOVI SAD, Serbia, April 3 – A group of 80 students and academics departed from Novi Sad on Thursday, embarking on a 1,300-kilometer bicycle journey to Strasbourg to raise awareness among European officials about political developments in Serbia.
The students plan to deliver letters to the Council of Europe and the European Parliament upon arrival, organizers told local media outlet N1. They are expected to reach Strasbourg on April 15 or 16, cycling approximately 100 kilometers per day and passing through cities including Budapest, Vienna, and Munich.
For more than four months, mass protests have taken place across Serbia, with students at the forefront of demonstrations. The student movement gained momentum in November when students from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade initiated a blockade after being assaulted during a street protest, according to Radio Free Europe. The blockade later spread to all four major universities in the country.
Among their demands, students have called for full transparency regarding the reconstruction of Novi Sad’s railway station and accountability for attacks on protesters. The protests have since expanded, with farmers, teachers, lawyers, and medical associations expressing support, turning them into the largest demonstrations in Serbia since the fall of Slobodan Milošević in 2000, according to Danas newspaper.
The student cyclists are expected to receive support along the way from the Serbian diaspora and students from European universities, organizers told Nova.rs.
