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Tag: protest

Jetztzeit is now: democratic erosion from above, civic resistance from below

Ongoing protests across the Balkans and neighbouring countries are starting to look like a wider phenomenon. These demonstrations appear emblematic of a shared response to issues of democratic backsliding seen across the region.

April 24, 2025 - Marina Milić

History rhymes: intellectual resistance and state repression in Georgia

Students and intellectuals have been at the forefront of the ongoing anti-government protests in Georgia. This reflects a long tradition of resistance that stretches back to the earliest days of the country’s modern history.

March 24, 2025 - Tamar Gamkrelidze

Protests in Slovakia: reports from Bratislava

The recent actions of Slovak leader Robert Fico appear to fall in line with a general trend in western politics. Despite this, many Slovaks remain deeply opposed to the controversial leader. This feeling has taken the form of regular protests against the prime minister in Bratislava and other cities.

March 10, 2025 - Aleksej Tilman

“Don’t be afraid of victory”

The tone of the rally for Ukraine in Washington DC on February 22th was one of defiance and determination. However, recent comments made by President Donald Trump hung over the event.

March 7, 2025 - Daniel Jarosak

On narratives and fairytales: Serbia’s authoritarian leader’s playbook

The student protests that have shaken Serbian society in the wake of the Novi Sad disaster have so far led to only symbolic government changes. But the system itself remains intact and will not face a true reckoning without a direct confrontation with the political machinery built by President Vučić and his inner circle—a system sustained as much by repression as by a carefully crafted disinformation playbook.

February 13, 2025 - Leon Hartwell

“Serbs suffer from some kind of eternal victim syndrome”

Interview with Ivan Milenković, Serbian philosopher and literary scholar. Interviewers: Iwona Reichardt and Nikodem Szczygłowski.

December 22, 2024 - Ivan Milenković Iwona Reichardt Nikodem Szczygłowski

Serbia: the construction accident that triggered nationwide protests

The construction disaster at the railway station in Novi Sad is much more than a tragic accident. It is a symbol of the incompetence and corruption of the current regime in Serbia. This undermines the main elements of government propaganda, which state that infrastructure investment will bring prosperity to the society.

December 21, 2024 - Marta Szpala

Georgian Dream turns into Georgian Nightmare: election fraud, escalating protests, and a confrontation with the EU

The unrest that erupted in Georgia following the recent parliamentary elections shows no sign of ending. As the Georgian Dream government comes under increasing pressure, the country now stands at a crossroads regarding not only its democracy but also its place in the world.

December 19, 2024 - Lasha Gamjashvili

Bearing witness. Despite repressions and state propaganda, the anti-war movement in Russia continues

As the war in Ukraine continues, questions have been asked as to the internal situation in Russia. Whilst the country’s burgeoning anti-war movement may not live up to outside expectations, its attempts to work around the Kremlin’s restrictions are inspiring new and unique forms of protest.

International critics often view the Russian domestic anti-war movement as helpless and doomed to fail. This might seem true as it does not comply with the West and Ukraine’s main expectation that it will start large-scale street protests capable of overthrowing Vladimir Putin’s regime. What often escapes the world’s attention is that there are no such opportunities for the Russian anti-war movement in the country’s political structure. It must first evolve in more sophisticated, symbolic ways to reach a point of numerical strength over time.

April 25, 2022 - Anna Efimova

Moldova is entering a period of protest in the midst of a pandemic

On December 6th many citizens in Moldova attended protests in order to show their support for President-elect Maia Sandu. This was in response to a new and unofficial coalition in parliament that is now attempting to restrict the new president’s powers and push through a series of controversial laws.

December 9, 2020 - Alexandru Demianenco

A crisis in Georgia’s politics

Georgia’s parliamentary elections are scheduled for October this year, and they will be held in the face of great politico-economic instability. The level of social dissatisfaction is at a record high, but there seems to be no easy alternative to the Georgian Dream.

It would be difficult to find a more telling symbol of Georgia’s continued political tensions than the green fabric that covers the fence surrounding the square around the Georgian parliament building and which has become a billboard for both anti- and pro-government graffiti. The fence was set up in January this year. Officially, it was explained that the fence was erected because of renovation works which were needed to fix the destroyed sections. Yet it is impossible not to have the impression it was meant to halt the continuation of protests that were taking place in front of the parliament.

April 6, 2020 - Mateusz Kubiak

Veterans of the Bosnian War struggle for their rights

For nearly a year, veteran combatants from the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina have been protesting in front of the government building in Sarajevo, demanding financial aid and access to free medical services. Despite a mass nationwide protest on February 28th, the government has yet to adequately respond. Meanwhile, public support for the protesters continues to increase.

“My name is Amir Sultan, I come from the Sarajevo Canton. At the age of 14, I exchanged a classroom chair for a gun. I joined a special unit, criss-crossed the country and was wounded three times. I survived, but two of my brothers did not.” Seated on an improvised wooden bench outside a tent that he has called home for the past half a year, Sultan recalled the realities of the 1992-95 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina that he fought in: “I gave my all. As a result of the injuries I sustained in combat I am sick and I live with a pacemaker. But, since the war ended, I have not received any assistance from the government, not even one fening.”

April 26, 2018 - Lidia Kurasińska

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