T
housands of Serbian demonstrators encircled a partially destroyed military complex in Belgrade, forming a symbolic human shield to stop its conversion into a luxury development by a firm tied to Jared Kushner, son‑in‑law of former U.S. President Donald Trump. The site, damaged during NATO airstrikes in 1999, has long been viewed as a monument of resistance. A new $500 million project—high‑rise hotel, offices, shops—was approved last week after lawmakers passed a special law that bypassed legal obstacles. The venture, financed by Kushner‑linked Affinity Global Development, has drawn sharp criticism from experts and the public, who argue that the complex should retain its protected heritage status. The Serbian government, led by President Aleksandar Vučić, claims the development will boost the economy and strengthen ties with Washington, even as the U.S. imposes a 35 % tariff on Serbian imports and sanctions the country’s state‑owned oil supplier. The complex’s heritage designation was revoked last year, and a 99‑year lease was signed, but prosecutors are now investigating whether the documents used to strip protection were forged. Protesters, many students, have drawn a red line around the buildings and pledged to act as a human shield, demanding the restoration of heritage status and the rebuilding of the structures. This action follows a broader wave of street protests that have challenged Vučić’s rule, sparked by allegations of corruption in state projects and the tragic collapse of a canopy at a Novi Sad train station that killed 16 people. Serbia’s 1999 bombing campaign, intended to pressure Slobodan Milošević to end the crackdown on ethnic Albanians in Kosovo, remains a sensitive chapter, and the prospect of U.S. involvement in redeveloping the site has inflamed anti‑NATO sentiment. Earlier this year, Albania approved a $1.6 billion resort plan from the same Kushner‑affiliated company on a former communist‑era island.