Motion Detector No. 28: From the Streets to the Museum. Objects from a Year of Protests in Serbia

11.02.2026
Museum Europäischer Kulturen

In the Motion Detector series, the Museum Europäischer Kulturen (MEK, Museum of European Cultures) presents objects from the collection and loans related to topics concerning people in Europe. The 28th Bewegungsmelder focuses on the protests in Serbia and will be on display in the foyer of the MEK until July.

The protests in Serbia constitute the largest protest movement currently taking place in Europe. Never before has the country experienced demonstrations on a comparable scale. The immediate trigger was the collapse of the railway station canopy in Novi Sad, Serbia’s second-largest city, in November 2024, which killed 16 people. The accident sparked nationwide protests against systemic corruption and institutional failure. Since then, the country has seen the largest demonstrations in its history.

The protesters, mainly students, avoid joining forces with opposition parties and organise themselves on a grassroots democratic basis. They are also explicitly non-partisan: their focus is on democratic structures and a functioning constitutional state. The activists oppose clientelism and the authoritarian style of government under President Aleksandar Vučić. As a result, the protests gained more and more support across all sections of society.

At the same time, however, this strategy reached its limits over time: without recognisable representatives, the protesters ultimately lacked the power to enforce their demands. For its part, the government discredited the protesters as being financed from abroad and increasingly resorted to repression. Since mid-2025, the protests have therefore focused on demands for new elections. In December, Vučić relented and announced early parliamentary elections for the end of 2026.

Whether the movement will agree on a joint electoral list by then remains to be seen. The dynamics of the protests are also uncertain. What is clear, however, is that the way the protests and the protesters’ demands are handled will play a decisive role in shaping Serbia’s future path—including with regard to a possible accession to the European Union.

At the end of December 2025, the MEK acquired several objects related to the protests in Serbia. They were collected by Anđela Đermanović and Aleksandar Repedžić, most of them during the blockades at the University of Belgrade. The objects form part of a collection on European protest movements that is currently being developed at the museum.

In the Motion Detector series, the MEK displays objects from its collection to point to current topics and debates.