Student protests in Croatia 2009 began at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the

University of Zagreb The University of Zagreb ( hr, Sveučilište u Zagrebu, ; la, Universitas Studiorum Zagrabiensis) is the largest Croatian university and the oldest continuously operating university in the area covering Central Europe south of Vienna and all of ...

. On Monday, 20 April 2009, the independent students' initiative for the right to free education started an occupation of the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb,

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capi ...

. The occupation lasted for 35 days, until 24 May, when the students voted to suspend the occupation. The students were protesting the Croatian government's plans to reduce public funding for higher education. The occupation in Zagreb spread next day to the

University of Zadar The University of Zadar ( hr, Sveučilište u Zadru, la, Universitas Studiorum Iadertina) is a university located in Zadar, Croatia. The university in its present form was founded in 2002, but can trace its lineage to 1396, thus making it the ol ...

(where the entire university was blocked) and then to other cities in the country, including

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, entertai ...

Pula Pula (; also known as Pola, it, Pola , hu, Pòla, Venetian; ''Pola''; Istriot: ''Puola'', Slovene: ''Pulj'') is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, and the seventh-largest city in the country, situated at the southern tip of the I ...

Rijeka Rijeka ( , , ; also known as Fiume hu, Fiume, it, Fiume ; local Chakavian: ''Reka''; german: Sankt Veit am Flaum; sl, Reka) is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia (after Zagreb and Split). It is located in Prim ...

and

Osijek Osijek () is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja ...

. During those 35 days, around 20 faculties and universities in eight Croatian cities were occupied at some point. The students who organized the occupation demanded the right to free education for all and the elimination of all tuition fees, at all levels of higher education: undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate. During the occupation, everyone was free to enter and leave the faculty buildings, but regular classes were not held. Instead, students organized an alternative educational program, which consisted of lectures, public discussions, workshops, movie screenings and other events. Everyone was free to attend these happenings, whether they were students or not. Only the regular classes were blocked – the administration, the library, the bookshop and other facilities within the faculty building were allowed to function as usual. The central organ of student decision making at the occupied faculty called plenum was set up. All decisions were made in a direct democratic manner, including whether the student occupation of the faculty should be continued or ended. The plenum was an assembly of all interested students and other citizens and everyone had the right to speak and vote. All decisions were made by the majority of all present participants. The initial occupation in Zagreb ended soon after the university administration announced that sanctions would be imposed if the action were not ended. On 23 November the students again occupied the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb. After nearly two weeks, the plenum, voted to end the occupation on 4 December. They have received letters of support from individuals and organizations, both from Croatia and from abroad. Among those who have expressed support for their cause were

Noam Chomsky Avram Noam Chomsky (born December 7, 1928) is an American public intellectual: a linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, social critic, and political activist. Sometimes called "the father of modern linguistics", Chomsky i ...

Judith Butler Judith Pamela Butler (born February 24, 1956) is an American philosopher and gender theorist whose work has influenced political philosophy, ethics, and the fields of third-wave feminism, queer theory, and literary theory. In 1993, Butler b ...

and

Slavoj Žižek Slavoj Žižek (, ; ; born 21 March 1949) is a Slovenian philosopher, cultural theorist and public intellectual. He is international director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities at the University of London, visiting professor at New ...

. The students of Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb wrote a manual called ''The Occupation Cookbook'' in which they described the functioning of their faculty during the occupation.

References

External links

Free Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
website of the student organization. {{Use dmy dates, date=May 2017 Protests in Croatia Student Protests In Croatia, 2009 Education in Croatia Student protests in Croatia Student protests in Croatia Student strikes