Tens of thousands of demonstrators filled Belgrade on Sunday demanding that President Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia and his ruling Serbian Progressive Party, SNS, answer for the devastating collapse of a railway station roof in Novi Sad last month that killed 15 people. The accident, which happened November 1, killed 14 and another who later died from injuries. The roof of the recently renovated station at Novi Sad collapsed, and opposition leaders blame the incident on poor construction practices linked to government corruption and nepotism.
The ruling government, however denies the allegations. Vucic insists that those responsible for the tragedy must be held accountable. While the protests in Belgrade were the largest, smaller rallies also took place in Nis and Kragujevac. In Belgrade, the demonstration began with a 15-minute silence in honor of the victims, followed by chants such as “You have blood on your hands!”
Protesters are blaming the government for corruption and poor management of construction projects, especially regarding railway station overhauls involving Chinese state-owned companies. They argue that the involvement of questionable mega-projects by the government led to substandard work and failed to place safety first. Many protesters demand justice for those who caused the collapse.
Public figures, actors from Serbia’s popular theater and film industry, were notable in joining the protest; actor Bane Trifunovic called the rally “a festival of freedom.” In response to the protests, Vucic inaugurated a section of a newly built highway in central Serbia on Sunday, dismissing calls from the opposition for a transitional government. He accused them of trying to seize power by manipulating students, vowing that his government would overcome the protests.
