Student List volunteers clear Pioneers Park of pro-government camp

Volunteers from the Student List movement gathered at Pioneers Park in Belgrade on Monday morning to clean up a small green space that had been closed to the public for 18 months. The cleanup began on the morning after the movement secured a victory in parliamentary elections, replacing a night of loud celebrations with manual labor.

The park, which contains mature trees and a playground, was occupied by a pro-government camp known as Ćaciland. Convicted criminals lived in white tents at the site and were known to attack journalists and visitors who approached too closely. Police monitored the area but did not intervene during previous incidents of violence.

Tensions appeared to rise on election night when masked men dressed in black assembled in and around the park about 30 minutes before polls closed. Their presence fueled predictions that the governing Serbian Progressive Party, or SNS, would contest the results.

That scenario did not materialize. Shortly after voting ended, President Aleksandar Vučić addressed supporters at SNS headquarters and conceded a comprehensive defeat to the Student List. He stated he did not want unrest in the streets. Riot police stepped aside, barriers surrounding the park were removed, and the masked group departed quickly.

Student List supporters subsequently ransacked the camp and set fire to several tents. Hundreds of volunteers then joined municipal workers to restore the area. Some dismantled the damaged tents, while others cleaned and disinfected the playground equipment, including swings, slides, and climbing frames.

Radomir Dalic combed the grass for cigarette butts and litter. He described the removal of the camp as getting rid of 'criminals with violent intentions towards us.' Dalic noted that while they were working in garbage, it carried 'the smell of freedom.' Tamara Tomic, wearing yellow rubber gloves, said the effort demonstrated a desire to live a normal life without violence.

The Student List operates without a formal hierarchy or a single leader. Its candidates were selected through student assemblies and include academics, athletes, economists, and engineers. The movement released an 11-point plan focusing on anti-corruption, judicial reform, media freedom, affordable housing, and healthcare. The platform included a pledge to place a doctor in every village. The movement did not name a prime ministerial candidate or a potential cabinet before the vote.

Kurt Bassuener, co-founder of the Democratization Policy Council, expressed hope that the movement had credible people ready for specific portfolios. He warned that fissures in broad coalitions often appear soon after a victory. Ilija Srdanović, the first-ranked candidate and a cardiologist at the university in Novi Sad, emphasized that the movement is fully democratic and aims to avoid a cult of personality. He clarified that his top ranking did not make him prime minister and that numerous candidates could fill that role.

Foreign policy positions remain unclear. Vučić had warned that a Student List government would sanction Russia and recognize Kosovo's independence, but the movement has not finalized its stance. Michael Davenport, a former EU and UK ambassador to Serbia, noted a lack of EU flags at student demonstrations. He stated there is no consensus on EU accession, Bosnia and Herzegovina, or Kosovo.

Drivers honked their horns as they passed the cleanup crew at Pioneers Park on Monday. The removal of the camp marks the elimination of one visible symbol of the previous order, a change that Student List voters hope will be followed by others.