Belgrade Cleans Up Park That Hosted Pro-Government Camp After Student List Election Win

The Student List, a movement born of student-led protests, won Serbia's parliamentary elections, defeating the governing Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) led by President Aleksandar Vučić. The next morning, hundreds of supporters gathered in Belgrade's Pioneers Park, opposite the national assembly building, to clean it up. The space had been off limits to the public for about a year and a half.

The camp in the park

For the previous 18 months, the small green area with mature trees and a playground had been held by a pro-government camp called Ćaciland. Convicted criminals lived there in white tents and attacked journalists and others who came too close. Police stood by and did not stop the violence.

On election night, half an hour before polls closed, large groups of masked men in black began gathering in and around the park. That fed predictions that the SNS would not give up power without a fight. Shortly after polls closed, and before any projections were published, Vučić told supporters at party headquarters that the SNS had suffered a comprehensive defeat, adding that he wanted no unrest on the streets. Riot police stood aside, barriers came down, and the men left quickly. Student List supporters ransacked the camp and set some tents on fire.

The clean-up

Over two years of anti-corruption protests, participants have consistently tidied up after themselves, so a call went out for volunteers. Together with municipal workers they dismantled the tents, picked up rubbish and disinfected the playground equipment. Volunteer Radomir Dalic called the work "the smell of freedom".

What comes next

The Student List differs from a traditional party: it has no hierarchy or leader, and its candidates were chosen by student assemblies. Its 11-point plan focuses mainly on anti-corruption measures, along with judicial reform, media freedom, affordable housing and healthcare access. It named no prime ministerial candidate. Ilija Srdanović, a cardiologist ranked first on the list, said that position does not make him prime minister. Observers note that its stance on EU accession and Kosovo remains unclear.