As temperatures in Serbia reached as high as 35 degrees Celsius during June, the social and political climate has also heated up significantly.

The tensions were ignited by a recent incident in the Students' City in New Belgrade, which involved the detention of students amid allegations of their participation in an attack on fellow student Miloš Pavlović and his associates.

In the ensuing discourse, prominent government officials, including the country's president and speaker of parliament, referred to the protesting students as 'Nazis,' using terms such as 'Nazi blockader hordes' and making comparisons to Nazi treatment of Jews.

The media and social networks propagated slogans like 'Better to be a child than a Nazi,' culminating in the display of a large banner bearing the same message alongside a swastika at the Niš Fortress.

This banner was subsequently removed by local activists, but the public outcry remained significant, raising concerns over the potential legal implications given Serbia's strict laws against the use of fascist and neo-Nazi symbols.

This contentious rhetoric has been met with condemnation from various sectors, particularly the academic community, which has stressed the dangers of equating students with Nazis in contemporary discourse.

Historian Milivoj Bešlin highlighted the precarious nature of such comparisons, emphasizing that labeling students as Nazis could render them targets in an already polarized society.

He criticized the government's narrative as inciting an atmosphere of civil conflict, arguing that such verbal violence could lay the groundwork for physical confrontation.

The academic community has firmly rejected the government’s characterization of the protests.

Goran Roglić, dean of the Faculty of Chemistry at the University of Belgrade, described the use of the term 'Nazi' as unacceptable and indicative of a divisive political landscape.

He asserted that the government bears full responsibility for exacerbating social rifts.

Moreover, the initiative 'Rebel University,' comprised of faculty, researchers, and academic staff, issued a statement denouncing the 'hate speech' by state officials and calling for the cessation of provocations aimed at student protests, advocating for the prevention of further escalation of tensions.

Responses to the ongoing crisis have also included criticism directed at Vladan Đokić, the rector of the University of Belgrade, who lamented the systemic dismantling of the university while drawing parallels to historical occupations of Serbia.

In retaliation, Ana Brnabić, president of the Serbian Assembly, launched accusations against Đokić, accusing him of politicizing the university and manipulating student involvement for political leverage.

The situation reached a dramatic point when protests broke out in Students' City, albeit concluding without serious incidents.

Miloš Pavlović, the central figure in the confrontation, appeared in public after the incident.

Meanwhile, student-led protests—now ongoing for three months—have notably transformed Pionir Park in central Belgrade into a focal point for demands regarding educational continuity.

This has inadvertently made the park less accessible to residents, as security measures have been heightened, including police presence.

The ongoing protests reflect a society that has become increasingly polarized over the last few months.

With heightened tensions and critical historical comparisons emerging in political discourse, the potential for dialogue between the involved parties remains uncertain in a climate marked by deep divisions.