Since late 2024, protests occurred in Serbia and Slovakia, with major echoes in North Macedonia, Turkey, Montenegro and Greece. Sparked by public anger over corruption, democratic backsliding,[1] and tragic events, the protests are largely student-led and driven by younger generations demanding transparency and accountability.[2] Demonstrators across the region explicitly referenced one another's protests and slogans, fostering a sense of cross-border solidarity.[3]
Southeast European countries with protests in 2024-25
Southeast European countries with protests
Non-southeast European countries within event
Southeast European countries without protests
Throughout the 2010s and early 2020s, countries in Southeastern Europe experienced declining democratic standards, entrenched corruption, and increasing authoritarian tendencies. In Serbia, media freedom and institutional checks eroded under the leadership of President Aleksandar Vučić.[4][5][6] Slovakia witnessed similar concerns with the return of Prime Minister Robert Fico, whose administration took a more pro-Russian stance and undermined independent institutions.[7]
On 1 November 2024, the newly renovated railway station in Novi Sad collapsed, killing 16 people. The tragedy was linked to corruption and mismanagement of a Chinese-funded infrastructure project.[8] Public outrage quickly escalated and protests began after college students were attacked by thugs from the ruling party during their silence tribute to the victims of the Novi Sad railway station canopy collapse. Daily protests began in Novi Sad and spread nationwide, with slogans like "Corruption Kills" (Korupcija ubija), the main symbol of the protests is a bloody hand.[2]
In December 2024, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico made a controversial visit to Moscow, meeting with President Vladimir Putin. Fico also suspended military aid to Ukraine. These developments, combined with previous corruption scandals, controversial criminal law judicial reforms[9] and misinformation campaigns, triggered mass protests in Bratislava and other cities.[7] Demonstrators waved EU flags and chanted the sentence "Slovakia is Europe".
Greece's Tempi train crash on 28 February 2023, which killed 57 people, became an emotional precursor. The second anniversary of the tragedy galvanized memorial rallies across Greece and around the world by Greek diaspora, demanding a quick and fair justice for the memory of the victims and their relatives.
In March 2025, a fire at a nightclub in Kočani killed 59 people, triggering mass protests in Skopje and other cities. Protesters linked the disaster to lax safety standards and corruption, echoing Serbian protest slogans.
In early 2025, Turkish opposition leader and Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem İmamoğlu was arrested on charges widely considered politically motivated. The arrest sparked mass demonstrations across Turkey, particularly in Ankara, İzmir, and Istanbul.
Beginning with November 2024,[10] sporadic protests have been reported in Romania, within both pro-EU and anti-EU camps. The sudden ascension of Călin Georgescu,[11] an independent pro-Russian candidate in the 2024 presidential election sparked, at first, student-led protests which opposed him due to his controversial and anti-democratic views, which also resulted in the annulment of the first round. Since then, multiple protests, both in support and opposed to the candidate, have been reported to have taken place, mostly in the capital, Bucharest. Relative to the other countries, they were significantly smaller in size.
In early 2024, a scandal erupted around the reveal of the fact that in 2023, former President of Hungary Katalin Novák has pardoned Endre Kónya, who was convicted of helping to cover up the pedophile crimes of his superior by forcing one of the victims to withdraw their confession.[12] This was shortly followed by her resignation, along with the former Minister of Justice Judit Varga from both her parliamentary seat and her role as the list leader in the European Parliament for her party, Fidesz. Later, ex-husband of Judit Varga, Péter Magyar revealed a recording of her wife talking about "removing themselves from the list", with "them" being many prominent and high-ranking Fidesz and government officials, and the "list" being the list of suspects in an unnamed case.[13] This eventually led to the birth of the Tisza Party, which to this day is the main opposition party in Hungary. Along with this, the 2025 Hungarian Pride ban (and the legalization of facial recognition systems to enforce this),[14] along with repetetive smear campaigns against many opposition candidates, mostly Magyar, caused the protests to strengthen.
On 26 October 2024, parliamentary elections were held in Georgia, which lead to the ruling party, Georgian Dream, gaining an absolute majority of 53%. Following the election, protests erupted, accusing the ruling party of falsifying the election results via ballot stuffing and voter intimidation. The decision to postpone Georgia's European integration to 2028 as well as arrests and mistreatment of journalists and leading figures of the opposition parties by law enforcement caused the protest movement to strengthen.
Following the 2024 Georgian parliamentary election on 26 October 2024, protests erupted after reports about ballot stuffing, voter intimidation and political pressure against opposition parties, surfaced. The decision of the Government of Georgia to postpone the European integration of Georgia on 28 November, as well as a disputed presidential election, made the protest movement gaining a significant momentum. Following multiple arrests of journalists and opposition politicians and their subsequent mistreatment by law enforcement, triggered the announcement and application of sanctions against senior government and ruling party officials.
Student-led demonstrations grew into one of the largest civic movements in Serbia since the 2000 "Bulldozer Revolution". The movement remained peaceful and decentralized. Weekly marches in Belgrade attracted up to 275,000 people.[15] The slogan "15 minutes for 15 lives" became a symbol of remembrance.[2] Public figures such as Novak Djokovic and members of the Serbian Orthodox Church voiced support. The protests led to the resignation of Prime Minister Miloš Vučević, but President Vučić refused to resign.
Tens of thousands protested Fico's pro-Russian policies. Civic groups and opposition parties formed an alliance demanding his resignation or a shift back to a pro-EU stance. Fico alleged a "Slovak Maidan" coup attempt orchestrated by foreign NGOs.[7] His governing coalition became unstable, and snap elections were discussed.
The arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu led to the largest protests in Turkey since the Gezi Park protests of 2013. Demonstrators accused President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of authoritarianism, abuse of power and an extensive shift towards autocracy. Slogans included "Justice for İmamoğlu" and "Turkey is not alone."
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