A group of Serbian students arrived in Brussels on Monday at the end of an almost 2,000-kilometre ultramarathon for democracy. The students left the Serbian city of Novi Sad, Serbia on 25 April. The participants are part of a growing part of a growing wave of youth-led activism that is demanding democratic reform in Serbia and greater accountability on the part of the Serbian government.
The “From My Village to Brussels” run saw nearly two dozen students make the journey from Serbia’s second city to the city that as well as being the capital of Flanders and Belgium is also home to most of the EU institutions.
During their time in Brussels the young Serbs will meet with MEPs from several political groups and will also hold meetings with the European Commissioner for Enlargement Martha Kos and the Commissioner for Youth Glenn Micallef.
Reaction to railway station disaster
The 1,993-kilometre relay run began on 25 April and was originally intended to include 16 participants. This figure is symbolic as it is the same number as those that died when a newly installed canopy collapsed at Novi Sad’s railway station.
The disaster sparked a national outcry and mass protests across Serbia. The demonstrators called for President Aleksandar Vučić’s government to be called to account. However, not 16, but 21 students took part in the run. They each ran 15km per day. Last month around 80 Serbian students cycled 1,400km from Serbia to Strasbourg to meet with lawmakers at the European Parliament.