Radical cyclists: Serbian students protest in Vienna with lights!

Radical cyclists: Serbian students protest in Vienna with lights!

A bike tour by Serbian students through Europe is currently causing a stir. The 80-member group is committed to addressing the political grievances in Serbia and set off from Novi Sad for Strasbourg last week. The aim of the protest movement is to draw attention to the political crisis in Serbia at the Council of Europe and the European Parliament.

The initiative was triggered by the tragic incident on November 1, when the canopy of a train station in Novi Sad collapsed, killing 16 people. The charges have already been brought against around 13 people responsible, but legal confirmation is still pending. The incident even led to the resignation of two government members, which further fueled the protests.

Reception in Vienna

In Vienna, the protesting students were welcomed by around 1,000 sympathizers on Monday evening. The event took place at Maria-Theresien-Platz, where a symbolic red carpet was rolled out for the activists. The Vienna police secured the event with extensive deployment of forces to ensure a peaceful atmosphere.

Participants were guided via social media about what items they could bring to the demonstration, including whistles, banners and flags. Pyrotechnic items, however, were prohibited. According to their online platform, the streets of Serbia have become scenes of fear and injustice. This message underscores the urgent need for political change.

Protest trip to Strasbourg

The students plan to arrive in Strasbourg next Tuesday. Their protest trip is divided into a total of 13 daily stages, covering around 100 kilometers per day. The activists will stay in Austria until Friday morning, spending the night in cities such as Vienna, Emmersdorf, Linz and Salzburg.

This protest movement comes in the context of increasing distrust of politics among the European population. A recent population survey in six European countries shows that many people are concerned about the quality of democracy. A central point is the widespread lack of trust in national and European politics, which negatively influences the willingness to participate in politics. This dynamic leads to anti-democratic parties attempting to exploit protest movements for their own agendas.

In Germany, for example, the AfD has taken up the demands of the Pegida movement in order to advance its own agenda. In view of these developments, it becomes clear that protesting citizens not only react to grievances, but are also in complex interaction with politics, which can influence their demands and actions. Volkswagen Foundation on these topics is one of the many examples that examines the influence of protest movements on democracies in Europe.