Imagine 100,000 people standing in complete silence for 15 minutes, their phone flashlights piercing the night sky.

This is not a concert or a festival. It is a profound act of mourning - and defiance. In the heart of Belgrade, Serbia, students and citizens gather to honor 15 innocent lives lost in a preventable tragedy: the collapse of a newly reconstructed railway station in the city of Novi Sad. But this is more than a memorial. It is a chilling indictment of corruption, negligence, and broken institutions.

What unfolds next is not just a protest but a masterclass in civic engagement. In a country where democracy has been eroding for years, a generation often dismissed as apathetic - Gen Z - has risen to demand justice, transparency, and accountability. Their tools? Democracy, decency, determination, and unwavering unity. Their message? A powerful rebuke to a system that has failed them - and a beacon of hope for the world.

As violence is unleashed against them, as authorities smear them in the media, and as masked thugs attack them in the streets, these students do not falter. Instead, they grow stronger, drawing support from every corner of society. Their peaceful resistance, their ingenious use of technology, and their refusal to back down are not just inspiring Serbia - they are challenging the world to rethink itself as the youth fights for democracy.

This is the story of how a generation we underestimated is teaching us all a lesson. It is a story of tragedy turned into hope, of silence that speaks louder than violence, and of young people who are not just dreaming of a better future but building it - one flashlight, one protest, and one act of courage at a time.

When Students Become Teachers

To fully grasp the paradigm shift proposed by Serbian youth, some context is necessary. The tragedy in Novi Sad sparked massive student and youth protests across Serbia, as they witnessed 15 of their compatriots fall victim to systemic corruption, negligence, incompetence, and institutional failure. With no reaction from prosecutors to investigate responsibility for the tragedy - a pattern seen in many other criminal cases in recent years - students initiated a daily 15-minute silence on the streets of Novi Sad and Belgrade. This act honored the victims and demanded accountability, including the prosecution of corrupt officials.

As often happens in violent autocracies, the highest authorities responded with aggressive rhetoric and personal attacks, targeting individual students in national media. This was followed by a series of incidents where masked assailants physically assaulted students - most shockingly, by driving cars into crowds - injuring dozens. However, this ongoing violence against peaceful student tributes backfired: it garnered additional support not only from professors and parents but also from all segments of society, from frustrated farmers to affluent IT professionals. After more than two months, the cycle of student protests and brutality against them has led to widespread unrest across Serbia, with the potential to escalate into a general strike.

Around the world, we see similar struggles: crumbling institutions, rising authoritarianism, and fading hope. So, what’s new?

The difference lies not in the problem but in the response. While many resort to anger or resignation, Serbian students have chosen quiet defiance and unwavering resolve. Their peaceful, united, and innovative protests have inspired peers in neighboring countries and drawn global attention. What can we learn from them?

Lesson 1: Grassroots Movement with Poise and Style (The ‘Serbian Model’)

The silent and illuminated gathering of hundreds of thousands in Belgrade’s square was just the beginning. What followed - and continues to unfold - is even more remarkable.

Amazingly self-organized students from over 60 faculties occupied a major Belgrade intersection for 24 hours. Not only did they conduct themselves with humility and dignity, fostering a positive and united atmosphere, but their peers, acting as rally security, ensured no incidents occurred. Their demonstration of how a society should behave drew support from thousands of citizens who joined them. At the end, they meticulously cleaned up every piece of litter left behind after thousands spent 24 hours outdoors - and even thanked the on-duty police officers with farewell hugs!

Days later, 300 students embarked on an 80-kilometer march from Belgrade to support their colleagues’ protest in Novi Sad. Along the two-day journey, they were greeted by thousands at every turn. When local authorities denied them access to heated public facilities, they slept under the freezing January sky, with locals offering tents, blankets, pancakes, hot tea - and an outpouring of love. Unexpectedly, many citizens were moved to tears. By the time they approached Novi Sad, their numbers had swelled from 300 to 3,000, then to 30,000 and more, clogging the highway and blocking the city’s major bridges.

In these young people, citizens recognize a long-forgotten drive to fight for justice, respect, and decency. They admire the students for breaking through the atmosphere of fear when no one else could. They respect the polite and intelligent youth for uniting diverse segments of society. Parents were not only moved by the love and determination of the younger generation to restore decency to their country but also surprised by the youth themselves - as if society had unfairly underestimated this generation.

Lesson 2: From Values to Walking the Talk

Generation Z - or GenZ, born between 1997 and 2012, is often labeled as disengaged, apathetic, and lacking clear values or beliefs. Serbian students are proving otherwise. Despite growing up in a non-democratic environment, they understand that institutions funded by citizens must fulfill their duties. The values guiding their movement are universal: justice, transparency, and accountability.

Their demands are straightforward, reasonable, and clearly articulated: transparency in public sector operations, enforcement of laws, functional and depoliticized judicial institutions, prosecution of those responsible, and justice for the victims. Notably, they also call for increased education funding! They do not seek a change of government or negotiate with political leaders; instead, they address institutions directly–such as the prosecutor’s office.

“These young people are not just demanding change; they are calling for a society bound by these principles.” (Dusan Milenkovic)

While striving to “resurrect” democracy, they are embodying their ideals. This new generation’s uprising is dignified, peaceful, and responsible. It is marked by politeness and determination, unity over division, and love and understanding over hate and violence. It is filled with pride.

At all times, these students remain clear-minded and focused. In response to violence, they emulate Gandhi’s approach: staying calm in the face of aggression. When officials labeled them as foreign agents and hooligans, they intensified their protests. And when authorities later called for negotiations, they reiterated their non-negotiable demands: that competent institutions do their jobs.

"That invitation [by a President for negotiations] was not interesting to us, because our requests were not addressed to the President but to the institutions that should deal with these matters. We will not change our opinion until all requests are fulfilled. The President of the republic does not have competent authority for that." (Davud Delimedjac, a student, for 021)

Lesson 3: Plenums - Direct Democracy at Its Best

Their decision-making process is even more fascinating: they have embraced direct democracy, with no central leaders, relying on digital tools. At the faculty level, they organize regular student plenums, allowing every student to speak and vote following clear procedures. Through a bottom-up approach and majority voting, they decide on everything from discussion agendas and moderators to demands and future actions. Their model has inspired others, such as school teachers and protesters, to adopt similar methods.

Digital tools, like messaging apps, enable continuous dialogue and enhance the functionality of plenums as a direct democracy mechanism, coordinating efforts across over 60 faculties. They use various software and online platforms to debate, coordinate, delegate tasks, report progress, and seek assistance. They have even created protest-related stickers for messaging apps and produced engaging videos that went viral on social media. Their online portals, updated regularly, list needs and allow citizens to donate items like soap, food, tea, water, and biodegradable cutlery. Rather than relying on mainstream media, which often ignores or misrepresents their protests, students have established their own web portal. It features their demands, action announcements, and live broadcasts of their activities, all powered by their own resources.

This functional bottom-up governance approach has allowed them to remain “headless”: without central leaders who could impose their views, negotiate without broad approval, or be targeted or bribed by authorities. Instead, they rely on a distributed and participatory decision-making process that has proven resilient.

Lesson 4: Avant-Garde to Traditional Political Activism

Politically, their demands and actions are fiercely non-partisan - a point they stress relentlessly. They are neither right, center, nor left. Instead, they are guided by common sense and the fundamental principles of a functioning democracy: independent institutions that uphold rights, enforce laws, root out corruption, and ensure elected leaders serve the people, not themselves.

But their vision goes deeper. They are challenging a broken system where corrupt elites exploit resources, divide societies along ethnic or religious lines, and fuel hatred and violence. In its place, they offer a radical alternative: a model built on cooperation, respect, unity, creativity, and the smart use of digital tools. This is not just a protest - it’s a reimagining of what politics can be.

Impact and Legacy: Beyond Madonna and the Nobel

In just over two months, Serbian students have achieved the unimaginable. They have united communities across Serbia, inspired peers in the Western Balkans and beyond, and drawn support from global icons like Madonna. They have shattered the silence of international mainstream media, forcing the world to pay attention. Even some European politicians, who for years turned a blind eye to the steady decay of the EU’s foundational values in Serbia, are finally compelled to speak out. Now, their courage has earned them a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize - a testament to the power of their quiet, unyielding resolve.

More importantly, Serbian students have restored hope in the fearless pursuit of common sense and responsibility. They have left adults in awe of how effectively they have used democratic values and methods to revive democracy. At a time when human-centered politics is retreating globally and autocracies - often violent - are on the rise, Serbia’s students are proving that a generation of hope exists.

Establishments have always found ways to suppress progressive movements. They might succeed again - or perhaps not this time. Now, it is up to adults to support and follow their children, echoing Bishop Grigorije’s poignant plea: “Son, be my father.” Or, otherwise, to “get the hell out of their way”, as Harrison Ford bluntly put it.

Whatever happens next, this Gen Z movement has done something extraordinary: it has reminded the world that decency, creativity, and love - when paired with pride and determination - can ignite profound change. Serbian students have inspired us to fight for rights without losing humanity, to demand justice without resorting to hate, and to rebuild democracy from the ground up through democratic means and values. Their courage restores faith not only in youth but in our common future.

The question now is not whether they deserve the Nobel Peace Prize - or at least one for Hope - but whether we, as a global community, deserve them. Their story is far from over, and the world would do well to watch closely, stand with them, and perhaps even learn how to follow.

This is an opinion piece written in an individual capacity. It does not necessarily reflect or represent the position of any organisation.

Vladimir Radunovic, Director of Cybersecurity & E-diplomacy, Diplo

Serbian-born Mr Vladimir Radunovic is a lecturer in digital and cyber diplomacy, cybersecurity policy, Internet governance, on postgraduate and professional courses with DiploFoundation. He also serves as an expert with the Geneva Internet Platform, and leads the Geneva Dialogue on Responsible Behaviour in Cyberspace. He served as a member of the Multistakeholder Advisory Group of the UN Internet Governance Forum (IGF). He holds an MSc in Electrical Engineering from the University of Belgrade and a Master’s in Contemporary Diplomacy from the University of Malta.