Thousands protest in Serbia as anger mounts over train station accident Protest news

The demonstrators are demanding the resignation of the Serbian leader and the mayor of Novi Sad due to the fatal accident that claimed the lives of 15 people.

Tens of thousands of Serbs gathered in the capital, Belgrade, to protest against President Aleksandar Vucic and his ruling Serbian Progressive Party, which they accuse of being responsible for a railway station roof collapse last month that killed 15 people.

On Sunday, university students and farmer unions called for the demonstration, one of the largest in recent years, and was held in Belgrade’s Slavia Square.

The session began with a 15-minute silence in honor of A Killed a lot of people After the concrete canopy of the newly renovated roof of Novi Sad station collapsed on November 1.

Fourteen people, ranging in age from 6 to 74, were killed that day, and the 15th victim died in hospital weeks later.

The prosecution arrested 13 people in connection with the incident, including a government minister whose release later led to public doubts about the integrity of the investigation.

Opposition leaders and the public took to the streets repeatedly, blaming the accident on shoddy construction resulting from government corruption and nepotism. The ruling coalition denies these accusations, and Vucic said those responsible must be held accountable.

On Sunday evening, demonstrators turned on their cell phone lights and chanted, “Vucic, thief!” Others held banners reading: “We are all under the umbrella” and “Your hands are stained with blood.”

“We came here to say ‘stop’ everything that has been happening since 2012 (when Vucic’s party took power),” said Alexa, 30, an IT expert from Novi Sad. “We want to see an end to corruption and nepotism.”

Many are demanding the resignation of the leader of Serbia and the mayor of Novi Sad, and the prosecution of those found responsible. They also demand that legal measures against the demonstrators be dropped, and that those who attacked the demonstrators be tried.

Serbian theater and film actors joined the protest, with actor Bani Trifunovic describing Sunday’s march as a “festival of freedom.”

Smaller marches were also held in the cities of Nis and Kragujevac.

In an attempt to calm the protests, the authorities have promised during the past weeks to provide various subsidies to young people. The students — and other citizens who support them — continued to protest, saying their demands were only partially met.

Despite ongoing demonstrations, Vucic on Sunday opened a section of a newly built highway in central Serbia.

Vucic said he would not budge on opposition demands to form a transitional government and accused his opponents of exploiting students to try to seize power.

“We will defeat them again,” he added. “They (the opposition) don’t know what to do except use someone’s children.”

The weeks-long protests took place amid public dissatisfaction with Vucic’s rule. He had said that he wanted to include Serbia in the European Union, but he faced accusations of curbing democratic freedoms instead of enhancing them.