Student assaults Belgrade University official

Around 150 Faculty of Philosophy students forced their way into the Belgrade University Rectorate around 13:00 CET on Wednesday. While the students were on their way to the rector’s office one of them hit a university official. Student assaults Belgrade University official Even though it was announced that the rector would join the students at the protest in front of the Faculty of Philosophy he did not come. The protesting students therefore decided to look for him in his office. Around 150 students gathered in front of the faculty and repeated their requests. The Faculty of Philosophy has, on the other hand, decided to ignore the students’ requests and said that the students’ Plenum was a body without legitimacy and refused to negotiate with its representatives. The students continue their protest and say they will not give up on their requests to enroll in the next year with 48 ESP points, to have more exam periods and to have tuition fees reduced to the amount of three minimal monthly wages. According to them, the blockade is the only way to get what they want. Only one exam period was held during the blockade but the faculty officials warn that regularity of the first term has been brought into question. “It certainly cannot be easily solved since it has been going on for so long. But there is no other way than to be patient and to have the institution acting like the institution and to always try to solve the problem nonviolently,” Faculty of Philosophy Dean Vesna Dimitrijevic has stated. She believes that the blockade will end by the end of the week and that classes will be held normally as of Friday. However, the students say that the Plenum will make the decision and point out that they are aware that their requests are hardly achievable at the moment. “Bearing in mind that support of other faculties in the country and in the city is missing we will not get to the fulfillment of the requests we now have. What is clear is that a room in public and at the faculty has been made to talk about these requests and students’ problems and so on. So we have managed to do something,” a student stressed. A couple of incidents happened during the blockade in which two students were injured. The first incident happened with private security guards hired by the Faculty of Philosophy management and the second incident happened when unknown persons forced their way into the building and attacked the students. B92 has learned from the police that the identity of the perpetrators is still unknown. (Tanjug)

Student assaults Belgrade University official

Even though it was announced that the rector would join the students at the protest in front of the Faculty of Philosophy he did not come. The protesting students therefore decided to look for him in his office.

Around 150 students gathered in front of the faculty and repeated their requests.

The Faculty of Philosophy has, on the other hand, decided to ignore the students’ requests and said that the students’ Plenum was a body without legitimacy and refused to negotiate with its representatives.

The students continue their protest and say they will not give up on their requests to enroll in the next year with 48 ESP points, to have more exam periods and to have tuition fees reduced to the amount of three minimal monthly wages. According to them, the blockade is the only way to get what they want.

Only one exam period was held during the blockade but the faculty officials warn that regularity of the first term has been brought into question.

“It certainly cannot be easily solved since it has been going on for so long. But there is no other way than to be patient and to have the institution acting like the institution and to always try to solve the problem nonviolently,” Faculty of Philosophy Dean Vesna Dimitrijević has stated.

She believes that the blockade will end by the end of the week and that classes will be held normally as of Friday. However, the students say that the Plenum will make the decision and point out that they are aware that their requests are hardly achievable at the moment.

“Bearing in mind that support of other faculties in the country and in the city is missing we will not get to the fulfillment of the requests we now have. What is clear is that a room in public and at the faculty has been made to talk about these requests and students’ problems and so on. So we have managed to do something,” a student stressed.

A couple of incidents happened during the blockade in which two students were injured. The first incident happened with private security guards hired by the Faculty of Philosophy management and the second incident happened when unknown persons forced their way into the building and attacked the students. B92 has learned from the police that the identity of the perpetrators is still unknown.