Demonstrators blocked roads and bridges in Serbia’s largest cities on Sunday to mark 100 days since a railway station roof collapsed, killing 15 people.
The catastrophe in Novi Sad in November sparked a wave of mass protests across the country, with crowds calling for transparency around the incident and demanding an end to alleged corruption.
Following weeks of rallies, Serbia’s prime minister resigned last month and the country’s powerful populist president, Aleksandar Vučić, said he would reshape his government in response to the student-led demonstrations.
For several hours on Sunday, student-led protesters took over the Gazela Bridge – a key transport link over the Sava river in the capital, Belgrade – and staged a tribute to the victims of the Novi Sad disaster.
The deceased’s names were read out on the bridge, with roses thrown in the river in their honor. Then, at 11:52 a.m. – the time of the roof collapse on November 1 – the bridge fell silent for 15 minutes, the Polish press agency PAP reported.
“One hundred days have passed since the tragedy in Novi Sad, yet no one has been held responsible for the death of 15 people,” the organizers wrote on Instagram.
“We insist that the relevant authorities take responsibility for this tragedy.”
In Novi Sad itself, demonstrators – including students, farmers and bikers – took to a junction in the city center, blocking it for three hours.
Over the last few months, protest leaders have been calling for all documents regarding the catastrophe at the recently renovated train station to be released and for those responsible to be investigated.
They are also demanding an uplift in higher education funding and asking that charges brought against protesters during the course of the recent demonstrations be dropped.
President Vučić and his government claim that the demands have been met, or are set to be met, but students say that none of their demands have been fully met, PAP reported.
Following weeks of rallies, Serbia’s prime minister resigned last month and the country’s powerful populist president, Aleksandar Vučić, said he would reshape his government in response to the student-led demonstrations.
For several hours on Sunday, student-led protesters took over the Gazela Bridge – a key transport link over the Sava river in the capital, Belgrade – and staged a tribute to the victims of the Novi Sad disaster.
The deceased’s names were read out on the bridge, with roses thrown in the river in their honor. Then, at 11:52 a.m. – the time of the roof collapse on November 1 – the bridge fell silent for 15 minutes, the Polish press agency PAP reported.
“One hundred days have passed since the tragedy in Novi Sad, yet no one has been held responsible for the death of 15 people,” the organizers wrote on Instagram.
“We insist that the relevant authorities take responsibility for this tragedy.”
In Novi Sad itself, demonstrators – including students, farmers and bikers – took to a junction in the city center, blocking it for three hours.
Over the last few months, protest leaders have been calling for all documents regarding the catastrophe at the recently renovated train station to be released and for those responsible to be investigated.
They are also demanding an uplift in higher education funding and asking that charges brought against protesters during the course of the recent demonstrations be dropped.
President Vučić and his government claim that the demands have been met, or are set to be met, but students say that none of their demands have been fully met, PAP reported.
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