OPEN Letter to students and academic faculty in the peaceful protests in Serbia.
CC. to all member associations of EERA
Published on the EERA website 19 June 2025
The European Educational Research Association (EERA) (eera-ecer.de) has scheduled its annual conference addressing educational research across Europe and beyond in Belgrade from the 8th to the 12th of September 2025 (eera-ecer.de/conferences/ecer-2025-belgrade). The conference attracts around 3000+ academics from Europe and globally. EERA hereby expresses concern with the lack of democratic and civic rights that the ongoing student movement and protests in Serbia address.
EERA works for and strengthens the mutual exchange on research for the benefit of education of our respective societies and for what we feel are our joint European values. It represents a large and international community that will be concerned that these values are upheld also in Serbia.
A working democracy requires strong and functional institutions that have the welfare of its citizens as their main priority. The peaceful student demonstrations in Serbia, advocating for democracy, freedom of speech and control of corruption, represent core European values. By organizing plenums, faculty blockades, and peaceful commemorations, students have turned the university into a democratic forum for civic engagement and accountability. They have been nominated to the Nobel peace prize "for their peaceful and non-violent demonstrations demanding accountability from their government and that its state institutions follow the rule of law." (see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Nobel_Peace_Prize#Candidates ). EERA expresses its support for the same values that these student protests are defending.
EERA’s research aim is embedded in the belief that societies need to respect all citizens and work to enhance the conditions they are living under. The research that is undertaken by the numerous educational researchers attending this conference will reflect this on many levels. As a community of researchers and educators, we stand in solidarity with the voice that you, as students, have chosen to raise through peacefully demonstrations when democratic values are at stake.
We hope ECER 2025 can be a space for dialogue with students, who are not only the future of education but its current defenders. Many of our researchers will be eager to learn more about your movement and the ways in which you have organized it. Many will help you spread your message about the urgent need to stand up for democracy. A long-term protest like yours is exemplary in that it has succeeded in doing so in a peaceful way. This is highly appreciated and demonstrates that democracy is at the core of your movement.
Sincerely,
On behalf of the EERA Executive Board,
Marit Honerød Hoveid
EERA president