Police briefly entered the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Novi Sad on Tuesday evening after the dean, Milivoj Alanović, requested assistance to break up a months-long student occupation—an unusual step that instantly became the newest flashpoint in Serbia’s rolling, student-led protests against the government. By Serbian law, police may enter university premises only at the invitation of the dean, a threshold Alanović said he crossed to “prepare faculty premises for the upcoming exam period that begins on September 1.” When officers arrived, they encountered students and supporters massed at the entrance, and scuffles broke out as protesters tried to block access before the situation calmed overnight. Police maintained a line outside the building until Wednesday morning, and organizers called for fresh rallies later in the day.

The showdown capped a tense 24 hours inside the faculty. Early Tuesday, students posted on X that the dean had “stormed into the faculty with a few professors, changed the lock, and [was] threatening disciplinary action,” urging the public to come to their aid. In a longer statement, they denounced the “intrusion of the administration” and warned that expulsions paired with “exemplary disciplinary measures” amounted to an attack on freedom of thought and the right to protest. Alanović, who has opposed the blockade since its inception, countered that several students were found inside outside working hours—“after 10 p.m. until 7 a.m.”—and could not remain; he said he explained the need to vacate before the exam session. Interior Minister Ivica Dačić said the dean reported that “a large number of people entered the faculty premises violently from the back,” and later accused protesters of pushing and striking members of the Intervention Police Unit as officers attempted to reach the entrance.

The Faculty of Philosophy blockade—now in its ninth month—began in the wake of the November 2024 collapse of the Novi Sad railway-station canopy, which killed sixteen people and became a national symbol of alleged corruption and negligence in public works. Students at Belgrade’s Faculty of Dramatic Arts launched the first occupation days after an attack on participants in a silent vigil for the victims; the tactic spread to faculties and universities across the country as organizers fused calls for accountability with broader demands for political change. The death toll from the station disaster rose again in March, when a teenager injured in the collapse died of his wounds, keeping public anger at a simmer and the protests’ momentum intact.

While police incursions onto campuses remain rare, precedent exists. In April, the dean of Novi Sad’s Faculty of Sport and Physical Education called police to secure his entry amid a blockade. That same month, officers entered the Faculty of Medicine in Niš to check student IDs and issue summonses—moves critics blasted as intimidation. On July 29, unidentified men dressed in black forcibly cleared a sit-in at the State University of Novi Pazar; police then barred students from returning, sparking clashes and solidarity demonstrations in other cities. Rights groups and opposition figures say these episodes illustrate a creeping effort to criminalize student dissent; officials insist they are narrowly enforcing order at the request of university authorities.

Tuesday’s confrontation underscores how university governance has become entangled in Serbia’s wider political crisis. For administrators like Alanović, the immediate imperative is restoring routine—opening buildings, holding exams, and ending overnight occupations. For students, the faculties are both sanctuary and stage: a place to organize, and a symbol of civic autonomy that they say must be defended if their movement is to endure. With autumn exam sessions looming and protest organizers promising larger marches, the risk of further campus flashpoints is rising. Much now depends on whether university leaders and student representatives can negotiate ground rules that protect academic schedules without curtailing the right to protest—and whether law enforcement can resist escalation when called through the gates.