Recent events in Serbia's academic community have raised significant concerns following incidents of violence involving both faculty and students.

On March 30, 2023, Natalija Jovanović, the dean of the Faculty of Philosophy in Niš, was attacked by a 69-year-old woman, identified as S.C., during an incident described as a violent act.

According to reports, the attack involved the use of a can and a knife, resulting in minor injuries to Jovanović.

The attack has been characterized by some within the academic community as a targeted act, purportedly linked to political motivations.

Jovanović herself attributed the assault to a hostile political climate, explicitly naming President Aleksandar Vučić as being responsible for inciting an environment of violence against dissenters.

Simultaneously, in Novi Sad, four individuals, including a minor, were arrested in connection with a separate incident on March 28, wherein they allegedly injured a professor from the Faculty of Agriculture, Dragana Budakov, using a pyrotechnic device.

This incident paralleled protests being held by students supporting Budakov at the time, drawing attention to the alleged increasing violence directed at faculty members and students.

The police reported that Budakov was injured while expressing support for a protest against the government, an action that has become common among students recently.

In response to the attack, students from the Faculty of Agriculture held demonstrations outside the local police headquarters, calling for accountability and justice.

Amidst these incidents, Prime Minister Ana Brnabić expressed the government's position on the violence occurring within educational institutions.

She asserted that the state had demonstrated remarkable tolerance against protests and suggested that the political opposition was leveraging disturbances for political gain, highlighting a broader narrative of unrest linked to perceived governmental repression.

Brnabić further emphasized that those engaging in violence against police or public bodies would face legal repercussions, framing recent actions as harmful to the state’s order.

The legal proceedings surrounding the incidents continue, with authorities investigating motives and potential connections to broader political dissent in the region.

The instances of violence have prompted mobilization among students and faculty, who express increasing dissatisfaction with the government’s stance and actions towards public dissent and protest movements.

In the aftermath of these attacks, the dialogue surrounding mental health issues and the influence of politics on personal grievances has also surfaced, with Brnabić addressing claims that mental health challenges may affect such actions.

This commentary comes amidst rising scrutiny of the government's handling of civil liberties and the academic community's calls for protection against politically motivated violence.