Protests in Serbia Students block traffic again in Belgrade and other cities
100 days have passed since the fatal collapse of a train station canopy. The populist president's government is now facing a nationwide movement.
09.02.2025, 19:39
dpa
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- Students blocked major roads across Serbia on Sunday.
- In Belgrade, hundreds of students paralyzed traffic on the central intersection and the Gazela Bridge for seven hours.
- One hundred days after the collapse of a train station canopy that killed 15 people, they held 15 minutes of silence and threw 15 white roses into the River Sava.
Students in Serbia held street blockades on Sunday to commemorate the 15 people killed in the collapse of a train station canopy. Participants in the protests blocked a bridge in the capital Belgrade and roads throughout the country for hours. The blockades were part of a campaign led by striking students. They are demanding justice in connection with the November 1 accident at a train station in the city of Novi Sad, which critics attribute to corruption in the government ranks.
"100 days and no one is responsible," was written in red in Novi Sad. There, students and other demonstrators blocked main roads for three hours. In Nis, they occupied a toll booth, while in Belgrade a bridge over the Sava was impassable. The demonstrators in the capital carried red banners with the names of those killed on November 1. Later, they threw 15 white roses into the river.
"There is hope," said one demonstrator, Ivan Plecic. A new energy could be seen in the people. "I hope they manage to see everything they have planned through to the end, and we are here to support them."
Nationwide uprising against President Vucic
The protests are developing into a nationwide uprising against the populist government of President Aleksandar Vucic. He accused the demonstrators of working for foreign secret services and announced that he would resolutely fight a planned revolution aimed at overthrowing him. The student-led movement has already forced the resignation of Prime Minister Milos Vucevic, an ally of Vucic, and his government.
Vucic launched a propaganda tour to rally his supporters in towns and villages to counter the growing protests. When he was driving in a motorcade on Saturday, a tire on his car burst. The incident was described by pro-government tabloids and officials as an assassination attempt by protesters.