On November 1, 2024, a concrete canopy at the newly renovated railway station in Novi Sad collapsed, leading to the deaths of fifteen individuals and injuring several others.

In reaction, university students across Serbia have rallied, with the University of Novi Sad becoming a central hub for protests.

Starting on November 2, activists at the Faculty of Philosophy commenced a blockade, and students from various other faculties have since joined in.

At the University of Novi Sad, students have established parts of the campus as a base of operations, with some choosing to stay at the Faculty of Philosophy.

The movement is structured using direct democratic methods: decisions are reached in plenary assemblies that are accessible to all participants, where topics are discussed and resolved by majority vote.

In addition to planning and coordination meetings in university classrooms and auditoriums, specialized teams have been created to manage logistics, public relations, and the distribution of hygiene and medical supplies.

A notable aspect of the protest organization is the creation of a security unit called "the Beavers." Made up of students dressed in motorcycle gear and helmets, this team oversees crowd movements, safeguards demonstrators during road blockades, and monitors access to protest locations.

Engineering students have also crafted an application aimed at tracking participants and blocking access for individuals on a blacklist for disruptive actions.

The student-led protest has spread its organizational model across other faculties, with many departments implementing similar direct democratic practices and security measures.

This collective strategy involves sharing effective practices for organizing blockades and conducting campus meetings, thereby creating an organized network throughout the university.

The protest movement, which remains solely focused on demanding political and criminal accountability for the station’s collapse, operates independently from established political parties.

Its organizational framework, rooted in open assemblies and decentralized decision-making, signifies the students’ rejection of traditional representative democracy in favor of a model they believe is more transparent and less prone to corruption.

This coordinated initiative at the University of Novi Sad has garnered national attention and support from various groups, including educators, legal experts, and civic organizations, as the movement strives to ensure the transparency of all documents related to the station’s renovation and to hold accountable those responsible for attacking demonstrators.