Lessons From Belgrade: Learn How To Resist

All it took was fifteen deaths in a railway station collapse. The Novi Sad collapse last November has galvanized anger towards the government and President Aleksandar Vucic. Demonstrators blame corruption and corner-cutting for the loss of life.” We just want a country that works,” law student Jana Vasic told the BBC in the growing crowd in Belgrade. “We want institutions that do their jobs properly. We don’t care what party is in power. But we need a country that works, not one where you don’t get justice for more than four months.”

The result was the largest protest protest in Serbian history over the weekend. By some counts, as many as 325,000 people gathered across Belgrade on Saturday (March 15). How it went down is a good lesson in how to stage a resistance.

Ahead of the big protest, motorbike riders pulled up outside the National Assembly, facing off against the tractors surrounding a camp of pro-government counter-protesters. Then, a parade of military veterans received a rousing welcome. They said they would make a citizen’s arrest on anyone who attacked the students.

From there, the crowd grew and continued growing. What had started as small daily protests across Serbia exploded. Every reasonably-sized gathering place in Belgrade was full of people. Perhaps what was most astonishing was their ability to be quiet. The crowd would hold solemn 15 minutes of silence for the victims of the station collapse. This happened multiple times throughout the protest. While the protest was largely peaceful, especially considering its size, Serbian media reports 22 people were arrested and 56 others injured.

It was during one of those periods when there may have been a controversial move on someone’s part. Multiple videos from the rally show people standing during 15 minutes of silence while suddenly experiencing a whooshing sound that immediately triggered panic and a brief stampede. An Associated Press photographer at the scene said people started scrambling for cover, leaving the middle of the downtown street almost empty as they started falling over each other.

Much of the video has been scrubbed, which is dubious, but we were able to find this clip originally from Reuters.

The Serbian government, as expected, denies the use of the illegal weapon on peaceful protesters. They’re calling the claim ‘fake news’ and are saying they’ll file charges against those spreading the accusations. While that may explain why the video has largely disappeared from social media, it doesn’t explain those who experienced sharp ear pain, disorientation, and panic.

Protesters are not expected to relent until they see the government actually taking steps to solve the current situation.

15 deaths was all it took.

In the United States, just today, we have news of a Brown University professor and medical doctor being deported to Lebanon without any explanation. US border czar Tom Homan brazenly said, “We are going to make this country safe again … I’m proud to be a part of this administration. We are not stopping. I don’t care what the judges think. I don’t care what the Left thinks. We’re coming.”

The administration’s moves to deport Columbia University protest leader Mahmoud Khalil have set up a historic court battle over whether the U.S. government can remove legal residents as national security risks for what they say. If Trump’s team is successful, legal analysts say, future administrations could deport legal immigrants for any political or religious speech the administration dislikes.

As we’re writing this article, we’re waiting on a 5:00 PM hearing to address the question of whether the Trump administration knowingly violated a court order when it handed over more than 200 alleged gang members to El Salvadoran authorities over the weekend.

Americans have more than enough reason to mount a protest larger than has ever been seen anywhere in the world. As we reported earlier today, the president went on a late-night rant attempting to vacate President Biden’s pardons!

We’re dealing with an old man who trips up the stairs to the Marine One helicopter and, according to a C-SPAN video, answered reporters’ questions from the bathroom of Air Force One. He’s not fit to serve and with each successive order continues to unravel the democracy on which this country is built.

There is no reason for Americans to be silent. There is no reason for Americans to keep their comments to themselves. There is no reason for there to not be major protests in every major city every weekend.

If students with far fewer resources can bring together a crowd of over 350,000, there is no reason Americans can’t do the same at volumes that match our outrage.

Plan on it. Resist loudly.