Serbia's Government Is Systematically Dismantling the University of Belgrade to Eliminate the Last Autonomous Institution
Source: Lela Vujanić. "Serbia’s Government Is Targeting the Public University." April 11, 2026. jacobin.com
The Gist
The author argues that Serbia's government is deliberately trying to destroy Belgrade University because it's the only major institution left that can still oppose the ruling party. The government is using a student's tragic death as an excuse to raid the campus and crack down on professors and students who have been protesting for over a year.
Conclusion
The Serbian government is orchestrating a deliberate campaign to destroy the University of Belgrade because it represents the last autonomous institution capable of resisting authoritarian rule
Premises
- The government used a student's death as a pretext to launch police raids and seize university materials, following a pattern of exploiting tragedies for political purposes
- The ruling SNS party has systematically attacked university autonomy through proposed laws, privatization efforts, financial manipulation, and targeting of professors involved in protests
- The university is the only institution in Serbia that has not been captured or subjugated by the ruling party, unlike all other sectors of society
- Historical precedent shows the University of Belgrade has been the birthplace of broader social movements and resistance to authoritarianism since 1936
- The government-police-tabloid complex coordinated their response, with state media staging propaganda spectacles to portray the university as dangerous
- Employment at the university remains among the most privileged positions in Serbia, representing a legacy of Yugoslav socialism that threatens the government's neoliberal agenda
Assumptions
- Institutional autonomy is essential for democratic resistance to authoritarianism
- The government's actions are coordinated rather than reactive responses to genuine security concerns
- Universities should serve as centers of political resistance and social movements
- The preservation of Yugoslav socialist educational legacies is inherently valuable and worth defending