These protests have been driven primarily by public discontent over issues such as corruption, retreat from democracy and government mismanagement.
In Serbia, the collapse of the canopy of the newly renovated Novi Sad railway station on November 1, 2024, resulting in the deaths of 16 people, sparked nationwide protests.
The tragedy is linked to corruption and mismanagement of a Chinese-funded infrastructure project, leading to daily demonstrations under the slogan "Corruption kills".
Protesters adopted the symbol of a bloodied hand to show the human cost of corruption, blaming the corrupt regime of President Aleksandar Vucic for the shoddy construction of the shed.
Vucic himself blamed "foreign agents" for the outbreak of the protest movement, claiming that foreign powers wanted to organise a "colour revolution" against him and the government.
On 15 March, a mass protest rally organised by students took place in Belgrade.
It is estimated that between 275 000 and 325 000 people gathered in the centre of Belgrade.
In his address to the nation, Vucic said the government had "got the message" after the protest, which he said was conducted with "enormous negative energy, anger and rage towards the authorities".
A large number of those present claimed that the authorities had pointed an unknown sound cannon at the protesters to control the crowd. The government rejects these claims.
On 19 March, the Serbian parliament formally voted for the resignation of Prime Minister Milos Vucevic. If a new government is not formed 30 days after the National Assembly confirms his resignation, parliamentary elections could be held on 8 June, the Serbian president said.
Northern Macedonia has experienced significant unrest since the devastating fire at a nightclub in Kochani on 16 March 2025, which claimed 59 lives.
The disaster, which has been attributed to poor safety standards and corruption, led to mass protests in Skopje and other cities, which echoed Serbian protest slogans and demanded accountability from officials.
On 24 March, thousands protested in Skopje. People chanted "Enough of so much death!", "Murderers, murderers!" and "Any one of us could be next". Citizens demanded zero tolerance for corruption and zero silence for injustice.
Protests have taken place in recent weeks in Kochani as well as in other towns across North Macedonia.
In Turkey, the arrest in early 2025 of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival, on charges believed to be politically motivated, sparked mass demonstrations in major cities including Ankara, Izmir and Istanbul.
Protesters accused President Erdogan of authoritarianism and called for justice for Imamoglu.
Demonstrations began after his arrest on March 19 and have since spread to more than 55 of Turkey's 81 provinces, sparking clashes with riot police and drawing international condemnation.
Police have arrested about 2,000 people. Among them are journalists.
Imamoglu, 53, of the opposition NDP party, is seen as the only politician capable of defeating Turkey's longtime leader Erdogan in the election.
He is being held in Turkey's largest prison, Silivri, west of Istanbul.
The Wikipedia page also details protests in Slovakia, Greece, Romania, Hungary and Georgia, highlighting a regional pattern of civic activism against corruption and the erosion of democracy.
These movements are mainly student-led and promote a sense of cross-border solidarity, with demonstrators referring to each other's protests and slogans. | BGNES
