Die Rote Fahne – Austria: Clashes Between Protesters and Police in Serbia
We hereby share an unofficial translation of an article published by Die Rote Fahne on the 15th of June.
On May 23rd, clashes broke out between demonstrators and police during a student protest. Several people were injured, and at least 23 were arrested.
This was one of the first major events following the (temporary) lull in the recent large-scale, long-running protest movement. As reported by the revolutionary Serbian news site revinform.info, this clearly shows that the supposed “lull” in no way reflects the situation among the population: “Tensions in Serbia are anything but calm.”
On May 23rd, a protest action escalated into clashes and resistance against the police and other security forces of the Serbian State. These spontaneous clashes clearly demonstrate that the masses in Serbia—especially the student masses—will not be satisfied with empty election promises in the long run. However, it also revealed the damage caused by the opportunist and reformist tendencies within the younger student movement through the call for “electoral participation.” Revinform.info reports: “The majority of the crowd was on King Alexander Boulevard, where they put up the strongest resistance. Many, however, had not expected clashes and had turned out largely unprepared; the student organizers themselves were neither equipped nor organized.”
Nevertheless, numerous demonstrators put up determined resistance. According to reports, the demonstrators did not back down despite numerous police ambushes: “The crowd quickly erected a barricade of shipping containers near the law school and was able to briefly hold off the police by firing at the advancing infantry and vehicles.” It was only through the use of armored vehicles that the blockade could be broken. A large portion of the demonstration was able to retreat successfully to the law school, from where barricades were later erected once again.
According to Revinform, the events of May 23rd clearly demonstrate that the old State can only be defeated with politically active masses, an organization, and an ideological line. The student masses in Serbia have become disorganized in recent months, and this lack of organization prevents them from learning from past experiences.
These clashes on May 23rd are yet another indication that, despite certain setbacks, the masses will not be deterred from their just struggle against their oppressors—just as they also demonstrate the crucial role that organization plays in drawing lessons, making assessments, and charting a course within mass movements in order to achieve the movement’s goals.
