AFP
Tue 31 December 2024
Thousands marched in Belgrade and two other Serbian cities during a New Year's protest, demanding accountability over the fatal collapse of a train station roof
(OLIVER BUNIC) (OLIVER BUNIC/AFP/AFP)
Thousands of students marched in Belgrade and two other Serbian cities during a New Year's Eve protest that went into Wednesday, demanding accountability over the fatal collapse of a train station roof in November.
The accident in the city of Novi Sad occurred on November 1 at a newly renovated train facility, killing 14 people -- aged six to 74 -- at the scene, while a 15th victim died in hospital weeks later.
Public outrage over the tragedy has sparked nationwide protests, with many blaming the deaths on corruption and inadequate oversight of construction projects.
In Belgrade, university students held a protest march through the capital city's centre late Tuesday, where local authorities had organised New Year's Eve celebrations with music and performance programmes.
"There is nothing to celebrate," the students said in a message sent before the protest started.
Alongside the Belgrade march, students in Nis, a university centre in the south of the Balkan country, also held a march to disrupt concerts, while Novi Sad -- which did not have New Year's Eve celebrations -- had a student demonstration.
In Belgrade and Nis, students stood in silence for 15 minutes at midnight to honour the 15 victims, bowing their heads solemnly as fireworks could be seen going off to ring in the new year.
In Novi Sad, students placed black ribbons on its City Hall.
Residents gathered at the central city square at the invitation of students, with some carrying banners that read "For the New Year, I wish for justice".
Before midnight, which they welcomed in silence and holding up the lights of mobile phones, the students recited poems and sang songs.
The protests come on the heels of 13 people being charged in connection with the tragedy, including former transport minister Goran Vesic, who resigned days after the incident.
The Serbian government has seen eight weeks of nationwide demonstrations following the deaths, with many protesters accusing the authorities of corruption and inadequate oversight.
Faced with public pressure, the government made all documentation related to the controversial reconstruction of the train station public, followed by the Prosecutor's Office doing the same.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic reiterated earlier Tuesday that "all student demands had been met" and claimed this is now "a matter of politics".
In a bid to abate public anger, the authorities over past weeks have promised various subsidies for young people.
Students, however, continued to protest, and almost all faculties at state universities across the country remain blockaded.
They say that responsibility has not been adequately assumed, and their anger has been further fuelled by government representatives accusing them of "protesting for money" and "serving foreign intelligence."
Tensions remained high during the New Year's protests, which continued after midnight in Belgrade.
"The students have risen," they chanted, carrying banners that read "This is our country too" and "stop lying".
oz/dhc/
Thousands of students marched in Belgrade and two other Serbian cities during a New Year's Eve protest that went into Wednesday, demanding accountability over the fatal collapse of a train station roof in November.
The accident in the city of Novi Sad occurred on November 1 at a newly renovated train facility, killing 14 people -- aged six to 74 -- at the scene, while a 15th victim died in hospital weeks later.
Public outrage over the tragedy has sparked nationwide protests, with many blaming the deaths on corruption and inadequate oversight of construction projects.
In Belgrade, university students held a protest march through the capital city's centre late Tuesday, where local authorities had organised New Year's Eve celebrations with music and performance programmes.
"There is nothing to celebrate," the students said in a message sent before the protest started.
Alongside the Belgrade march, students in Nis, a university centre in the south of the Balkan country, also held a march to disrupt concerts, while Novi Sad -- which did not have New Year's Eve celebrations -- had a student demonstration.
In Belgrade and Nis, students stood in silence for 15 minutes at midnight to honour the 15 victims, bowing their heads solemnly as fireworks could be seen going off to ring in the new year.
In Novi Sad, students placed black ribbons on its City Hall.
Residents gathered at the central city square at the invitation of students, with some carrying banners that read "For the New Year, I wish for justice".
Before midnight, which they welcomed in silence and holding up the lights of mobile phones, the students recited poems and sang songs.
The protests come on the heels of 13 people being charged in connection with the tragedy, including former transport minister Goran Vesic, who resigned days after the incident.
The Serbian government has seen eight weeks of nationwide demonstrations following the deaths, with many protesters accusing the authorities of corruption and inadequate oversight.
Faced with public pressure, the government made all documentation related to the controversial reconstruction of the train station public, followed by the Prosecutor's Office doing the same.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic reiterated earlier Tuesday that "all student demands had been met" and claimed this is now "a matter of politics".
In a bid to abate public anger, the authorities over past weeks have promised various subsidies for young people.
Students, however, continued to protest, and almost all faculties at state universities across the country remain blockaded.
They say that responsibility has not been adequately assumed, and their anger has been further fuelled by government representatives accusing them of "protesting for money" and "serving foreign intelligence."
Tensions remained high during the New Year's protests, which continued after midnight in Belgrade.
"The students have risen," they chanted, carrying banners that read "This is our country too" and "stop lying".
oz/dhc/
“There is No New Year — You Still Owe Us for the Old One.”
DUSAN STOJANOVIC
Tue, December 31, 2024
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Instead of the traditional boisterous street partying on New Year's Eve, tens of thousands of protesters led by university students gathered overnight in Belgrade and other Serbian cities to demand political reforms and justice in the Balkan country.
The protesters have been actively demonstrating following the tragic collapse of a concrete canopy in the northern city of Novi Sad’s central train station on Nov. 1, which resulted in 15 fatalities.
The tragedy has been attributed to corruption and substandard construction practices by the populist Serbian leadership, leading to a widespread public outcry and demands for accountability.
Students from various Belgrade universities have organized the protest under the slogan “There is No New Year — You Still Owe Us for the Old One.”
The loud crowd, chanting “We Want Justice,” went silent at 11:52 p.m. with 15 minutes to honor the victims of the Novi Sad tragedy. Many were holding banners with a red handprint, which has become a symbol of the antigovernment protests, telling the authorities that they have blood on their hands.
Earlier, they marched past a state-sponsored concert where the crowd danced to folk music tunes. Police guarded the area where the concert was taking place and set up metal fences while directing the protesting crowd to other streets nearby to avoid contact between the two groups.
The antigovernment protesters emphasized that, despite the festive season, their commitment to seeking justice remains unwavering. The student-led movement has garnered support from various societal groups, including professors, farmers and actors, reflecting broader discontent with autocratic President Aleksandar Vucic's leadership.
Thousands of people also gathered in Novi Sad and the southern city of Nis for parallel gatherings also led by university students in those cities.
In Belgrade, state-sponsored concerts and other New Year celebrations were organized in the city center and in a newly built high-rise Belgrade Waterfront neighborhood, which Vucic has claimed is his own project together with the United Arab Emirates investors.
Belgrade has become a favorite partying destination for tourist on the New Year's Eve celebrations with street partying and huge fireworks.
The crowds in Belgrade braved very cold weather and fog to join the students. The New Year's Eve protest comes just over a week after tens of thousands rallied together with the students in what was one of the biggest gatherings in recent years in the Serbian capital.
Serbia’s public prosecutor on Monday indicted 13 people, including a former minister, over the collapse of the concrete canopy. The protesters say that is not enough as the indictment does not include charges of possible corrupt deals during a renovation of the the Novi Sad train station that was part of a wider deal with Chinese companies.
Vucic earlier told pro-government Prva TV that all student demands have been fulfilled.
“I have always been ready to talk, I am asking them now but they won’t talk to me, they have no arguments, the prosecutors fulfilled the last of their demands, all documents they wanted have been published and nothing happened,” Vucic said, adding he won't be toppled by street protests.
___
Associated Press writer Jovana Gec contributed to this report
New Year's Eve Serbia
Students march on New Years Eve during a protest that erupted after a concrete canopy fell two months ago and killed 15 people in Belgrade, Serbia, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024.
(AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
AFP
Mon 30 December 2024
Thousands of people protested in Belgrade on December 22, blaming government corruption and inadequate oversight for the station roof collapse (Andrej ISAKOVIC) (Andrej ISAKOVIC/AFP/AFP)
Serbian prosecutors on Monday charged 13 people, including a former transport minister, over the fatal collapse of a train station roof in the city of Novi Sad last month that killed 15 people.
The fatal accident at the northern city's station occurred on November 1, following extensive renovation work at the facility.
Fourteen people, aged six to 74, were killed at the scene and a 15th victim died in hospital weeks later.
Public outrage over the tragedy has sparked regular nationwide protests, with many blaming the deaths on corruption and inadequate oversight of construction projects.
"The indictment was submitted to the Higher Court in Novi Sad, accompanied by the complete documentation collected during the pre-investigation and investigation process, as well as all other evidence," the prosecutor's office in the northern city said in a statement.
Former Serbian transport minister Goran Vesic, who resigned over the disaster, was among those charged.
The prosecutors requested that the 10 people currently in custody over the incident remain there and that three people who had been released pending the investigation -- including Vesic and the former director of railway infrastructure, Jelena Tanaskovic -- be taken into custody.
Serbia's Prime Minister Milos Vucevic said the filing of the indictments less than two months after the accident was "proof that no one obstructed the case".
"In a very short period, this was accomplished... which confirms that absolutely no one obstructed the case," Vucevic said in a statement to local media.
"It will be a challenging court process, but this is proof that no one intends to hide, cover up or obstruct anything," he said.
The latest major protest over the disaster gathered tens of thousands of people in Belgrade on December 22.
Protesters are demanding that the authorities take responsibility for the roof collapse, the resignation of the prime minister and the prosecution of those found responsible.
Students have also been holding near-daily demonstrations, shutting down the operations of most universities in Serbia for a month and calling for a transparent investigation and accountability.
oz/yad/js
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