Tens of thousands of people protested in the Serbian capital Belgrade on Sunday against autocratic President Aleksandar Vucic and his ruling party, the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). They demand that the government take responsibility for the collapse of a train station roof in Novi Sad, Serbia’s second city. At least fifteen people were killed in that accident, which took place on November 1. The protesters are also calling for the departure of SNS Prime Minister Miloš Vucevic and Novi Sad Mayor Milan Duric.
A video from a security camera at the station soon circulated on X. It shows the roof at the front of the building in one go falls down.
Protesters blame the accident on corruption within the government of the country of 6.6 million inhabitants. According to the activists, things are going wrong in both tenders and construction supervision. The station dates from 1964 and was recently renovated by two Chinese companies. That was part of a Serbian state project worth 16 million euros. The project’s investors, who are close to the government, have been able to circumvent European security requirements with impunity, the opposition says.
Blood on the hands
Anti-government demonstrations have been taking place across the country for weeks. For example, students have been organizing 15-minute faculty blocks every Friday since the accident. They always hold this at 11.52 am, a reference to the number of fatalities and the time of the collapse. Red-painted hands have now become a symbol of protest against the government, which is said to have ‘blood on its hands’.
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The authorities are trying to crack down on the protests. For example, officials disguise themselves as violent motorists, reports The Guardian. That newspaper also writes that a 74-year-old protester had to have his testicle amputated after being beaten up at a police station. Several demonstrators have been arrested, fellow activists are demanding their release.
The protest movement is growing, and high school students, farmers and actors have also joined. Sunday’s demonstration began with 15 minutes of silence for the dead, followed by noise with whistles and vuvuzelas. Demonstrations were also held in smaller towns.
Last Friday, several teachers’ unions also announced a strike in solidarity with the demonstrators. The government then decided to bring forward the school holidays, which were actually supposed to start on December 30, by only one week.