Tens of thousands of people protested on Sunday in Slavija Square in the center of the Serbian capital, Belgrade, against the government of President Aleksandar Vucic. The rally was organized by students and agricultural associations. They demanded that he be held responsible for the November collapse of the shelter at the railway station in Novi Sad, as a result of which 15 people died. TASR informs about it according to the AP agency.
The demonstration began with a 15-minute silence for the victims of the aforementioned tragedy. Later, participants chanted slogans such as “You have blood on your hands!”. Several Serbian theater and film actors also came to the protest. On Sunday, smaller anti-government protests were also held in the cities of Niš and Kragujevac.
The accident in Novi Sad occurred on November 1, shortly after the aforementioned railway station underwent extensive renovation. 14 people aged between six and 74 died on the spot, a 15th victim succumbed to his injuries in hospital a few weeks later.
The tragedy sparked a wave of criticism and regular demonstrations throughout Serbia. Many of the local residents believe that the collapse of the shelter occurred due to corruption and lack of transparency in construction projects, and therefore negligence in renovating the station.
Vučič will not proceed to create a transitional government
President Vucic said that he will not accede to the demands of the opposition calling for the formation of a transitional government. At the same time, he accused his critics of using students in an attempt to seize power.
Demonstrators demand the resignation of Prime Minister Miloš Vučevič and Mayor of Novi Sad Milan Djuric and the trial of those responsible. In connection with the incident, the Minister of Construction, Goran Vesič, has already resigned, and he was also briefly detained. However, his quick release from custody further fueled public skepticism about the ongoing investigation.
According to AP, the weeks of protests reflect wider public dissatisfaction with the government of Vucic, who claims that he wants to bring Serbia into the EU, but, according to his critics, rather restricts democratic freedoms in the country. The Serbian government declared a winter holiday starting Friday, almost a week early, to deal with the growing number of student demonstrators. Teachers are also joining the protests.
AP reports that classes at Serbian universities have been suspended for several weeks, with university students even camping in their faculty buildings. Recently, a higher number of high school students have joined the protests. The students at the protests are also calling for the suspension of court proceedings against the detained demonstrators or, on the contrary, for the prosecution of the attackers who attacked the demonstrators.
