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Serbia: Thousands protest over Novi Sad station collapse

January 24, 2025

Student-led protesters accuse Aleksandar Vucic's government of corruption and negligence after the roof of the Novi Sad train station collapsed, killing 15 people. They're calling for a general strike.

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Students joined calls for a general strike and brought traffic to a halt to commemorate the 15 victims of the Novi Sad station collapse
Traffic blockades took place on Friday in various cities and towns in the Balkan nation, held to commemorate the victims of the deadly roof collapseImage: Darko Vojinovic/AP/picture alliance

Thousands of people on Friday again took to the streets of Serbia's capital to join anti-government protests amid calls for a general strike.

The student-led protests forced businesses throughout Serbia to shut their doors, including many schools, with teachers unions backing the call to strike.

As well as Belgrade and Novi Sad, protest marches also took place in the southern city of Nis and smaller cities, including Jagodina, where populist President Aleksandar Vucic was expected to address a counter-demonstration.

Students hold a banner that reads "General strike"
Students are calling for a general strike and stood silent for 15 minutes to commemorate 15 victims killed after a railway canopy collapsed in NovemberImage: Darko Vojinovic/AP/picture alliance

Why are thousands protesting in Serbia?

There have been repeated protests since the November roof collapse at the Novi Sad train station in northern Serbia, which killed 15 people.

Demonstrators blame the incident on widespread corruption, nepotism and poor construction work and have called for swifter judicial action against those found responsible.

The main station, which had been refurbished twice in recent years, was part of a wider infrastructure deal involving Chinese state companies.

Prosecutors have indicted 13 people, including the former Infrastructure Minister Goran Vesic. The indictments, however, have not yet been confirmed by a court to become valid.

Serbia: Anger mounts after fatal train station roof collapse

Repeated mass action since November tragedy

Friday's mass action coincided with weekly protests, where demonstrators blocked roads across Serbia at 11:52 a.m. local time (1052 GMT) — the exact time the roof collapsed in Novi Sad — and held 15 minutes of silence.

Vucic and his supporters accuse the students of working under orders from foreign powers to overthrow the authorities, while pro-government supporters have launched repeated attacks on protesters.

Serbia: Thousands join anti-government protests in Belgrade

kb/sms (Reuters, AFP, AP)