Over 100,000 people gather in Belgrade over Novi Sad's canopy collapse which killed 15
Our Euronews Correspondent Dušan Ilic brings us the latest from Belgrade's massive protest over nationwide government corruption, which gathered over 100,000 people.
At least 100,000 people gathered in Belgrade at the call of students on Saturday for a massive rally against government corruption, marking the peak of months-long protests against Serbia's populist President Aleksandar Vučić and his government.
Near-daily demonstrations since November last year, sparked by tragedy, have challenged Vučić's firm grip on power in Serbia like never before in his 13 years in office.
Since then, students have been blocking their faculties, demanding justice for the victims of the canopy collapse at the Novi Sad railway station, where 15 people died and two were seriously injured. Many in Serbia blamed the incident on widespread government corruption, negligence, and disregard for construction safety regulations, demanding accountability.
Students argue that their demands have still not been met, even after four months.
They are demanding that all documentation related to the reconstruction be published and that those responsible be punished.
Saturday's rally, called “15 for 15,” referenced both the protest date and the number of people killed in Novi Sad on November 1, 2024. In the evening, the crowd observed a one-minute silence to honor the victims.
Ahead of the demonstration, Vučić repeatedly warned of supposed plans for unrest, threatening arrests and severe sentences for any incidents.
One protester, Dejan Simić, is rallying for a more democratic Serbia, while another said, "This is just the beginning of the end, a process that I hope will conclude soon."
The protests led to the fall of the government in late January, but the students believe that their demands have still not been met, which is why they are not giving up on blocking their faculties. The student rebellion has put the entire academic year in Serbia in question.
University students have been a driving force in the anti-corruption movement, demanding justice. Their determination has resonated with citizens disillusioned by politicians and who have lost faith in state institutions.
Mass protest in Belgrade against President Vucic's government
The rally — which is probably the biggest anti-government protest ever held in Serbia — comes after more than four months of anti-corruption demonstrations.
Tens of thousands of people descended on Belgrade on Saturday for a mass rally seen as a culmination of months-long protests against Serbia's populist President Aleksandar Vucic's government.
Large crowds of flag-waving protesters clogged the downtown area of the capital despite occasional rain, with people hardly able to move and many stuck hundreds of meters away from the planned protest venue.
Protesters converged after meeting up at several agreed-on protest venues in various parts of the city, which was placed on high alert. All public transport was cancelled.
Ahead of the demonstration, Vucic repeatedly warned of alleged plans for unrest while threatening arrests and harsh sentences for any incidents.
A deafening sound of whistles, drums and vuvuzelas filled the air on Saturday. Some protesters carried banners that read, “He’s Finished!” Crowds chanted “Pump it Up,” a slogan adopted during past four months of student-led protests.
”I expect that this will shake his authority and that Vucic will realise that people are no longer for him,” Milenko Kovacevic, a protester, said.
The rally — which is probably the biggest anti-government protest ever held in the Balkan country — comes after more than four months of anti-corruption demonstrations that have posed the biggest challenge to Vucic's grip on power after 13 years in charge.
The massive rally is not the endgame in a struggle for a more democratic Serbia, Dejan Simic, a protester, said. "This is just the beginning of the end, a process which I hope will end soon,” he said.
Protesting university students have led the nationwide anti-graft movement, which started after a concrete canopy collapsed at a train station and killed 15 people in Serbia’s north on Nov. 1. Many in Serbia blamed the crash on rampant government corruption, negligence and disrespect of construction safety regulations.
With their call for justice for the victims, students have struck a chord among the citizens who are disillusioned with politicians and have lost faith in the state institutions.
Hundreds of riot police deployed in Belgrade
On Friday evening, tens of thousands of people staged a joyous welcome for the students who have been walking or cycling for days from across Serbia toward Belgrade.
Interior Minister Ivica Dacic told state RTS broadcaster that 13 people were detained overnight. He said police detained six opposition activists for allegedly plotting to stage a coup and stir unrest.
By Saturday morning people were assembling in various parts of the city as they marched toward the centre. The entire downtown zone was flooded with people hours before the scheduled start of the gathering.
Reflecting the tensions, police said they arrested a man who rammed his car into protesters in a Belgrade suburb, injuring three people. Hundreds of police officers were deployed inside and around government buildings and in front of the presidential palace.
The Belgrade authorities cancelled all public transport, including intercity railway and bus links, in an apparent effort to prevent people from attending the rally. The transport company said the cancellation was made “for security reasons.”
Several reporters from neighboring Croatia as well as Slovenia have been turned back from Serbia's border and were told that their presence at the rally “represents a security risk.”
Vucic claims West is backing protests
Vucic has rejected earlier proposals for a transitional government that would prepare an early election. Fuelling fears of clashes, Vucic's supporters have been camping in central Belgrade in front of his headquarters. They include ex-members of a dreaded paramilitary unit involved in the assassination in 2003 of Serbia's first democratic Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic, as well as soccer hooligans who are known for causing violence.
Private N1 television on Saturday broadcast footage of dozens of young men with baseball caps going into the pro-Vucic camp.
Vucic has been claiming that Western intelligence services were behind almost daily student-led protests aiming to oust him from power. He has presented no evidence for the claims.
Previous student-led rallies in other Serbian cities have been peaceful while drawing huge crowds.
Serbia braces for largest protest in years as students march on capital
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As Serbia braces for what could be the largest protest in years, tensions are rising in the capital ahead of the planned March 15 demonstration. Students, who have been at the forefront of anti-government protests for over three months, will gather at 4 pm on March 15, in front of the Serbian National Assembly, in what could become a defining moment for both the students and the government.
The students, who have been blocking universities across Serbia for several months, have been joined by citizens from all walks of life — including educators, farmers and cultural workers. They are calling for justice following the deaths of 15 people in a canopy roof collapse at Novi Sad railway station in November 2024, and for political and criminal accountability. Their movement, which has gained widespread support, aims to challenge alleged government corruption and the long-standing rule of President Aleksandar Vucic.
The protest, which has been meticulously planned, will see students arriving on foot and by bicycle from cities across Serbia, including Kragujevac, Niš, Trstenik, Kraljevo and Užice. Many have been walking for days to reach Belgrade, while a “tractor camp” is forming in Pionirski Park, with protesters planning to sleep there in solidarity. In preparation for the influx of protesters, traffic in central Belgrade has already been blocked off, with the National Assembly cordoning off its building until March 17 to minimise disruptions and potential incursions.
The government is preparing for significant unrest. Serbian police have warned of possible large crowds, traffic jams and potential interruptions to basic services, including emergency medical assistance. There are also concerns about possible phone network disruptions. In a stark warning, the government has indicated that they are prepared for potential violence, though the previous mass protests have occurred largely without incident. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has accused some opposition groups of planning violent tactics, citing a video shared by state media on March 13, in which a group of people can be heard plotting an attack on the parliament.
Despite these fears, the student-led blockades have maintained a consistent message of peaceful protest, reiterating that all previous demonstrations have been non-violent. However, with accusations flying, the possibility of clashes remains high. Tensions could also escalate between protesters and a growing faction of citizens who are frustrated by the months-long instability caused by the demonstrations. Some citizens are demanding an end to the protests and a return to normalcy, with some students even camping out in front of the presidential palace, desperate to resume their education.
In response to these growing tensions, the United Nations has called for calm. "We urge both the Serbian authorities and protesters to ensure that the demonstration remains peaceful and to respect the right to free expression," said a spokesperson for the UN Office for Human Rights.
Meanwhile, the European Union has expressed concern over the situation, with a spokesperson stating that Brussels is “closely monitoring” the situation. The EU has called on Serbian authorities to allow the protest to take place without interference. The US embassy in Belgrade also issued a security warning to its citizens, advising them to avoid large crowds and mass gatherings.
The statements from foreign embassies and international organisations highlight the levels of anticipation for the March 15 event, a culmination of months of anti-government protests and bubbling discontent. But what happens next? While the protest is unlikely to force Vucic to step down, it is certainly a blow to his government’s authority and he will be feeling the pressure as the crowds gather. With the resignation of top ministers already under the belt of the protesters, the government has scrambled to launch a purge of corrupt officials — but it has done little to quell the growing discontent.
Some speculate that the protest could mark a new chapter in Serbia's turbulent political history, reminiscent of the 2000 protests that led to the downfall of former president Slobodan Milošević. "Will this be the next fifth of October?" the opposition is asking. While this is an unlikely outcome, the atmosphere in Belgrade is undeniably charged, and the global community is watching closely to see how the government is going to react.
After several months of protests, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and other officials have criticised student protesters for damaging the country’s economy. Yet meeting the demands for more efficient institutions and a stronger judiciary would actually improve the country’s investment climate in the long-term.
Widespread protests sparked by the November 2024 collapse of a canopy roof in Novi Sad railway station, which killed 15 people, have already resulted in the resignation of Prime Minister Vučević and the collapse of his government.
This prompted a recent claim by Vučić that the protests were ruining the economy. Jorgovanka Tabakovic, governor of the National Bank of Serbia, has also stressed the importance of political stability in Serbia’s efforts to become a high-income economy.
While the protests have drawn international attention, the protesters are not seeking to overthrow the government but demanding reforms such as adherence to the rule of law, more efficient institutions and a stronger judiciary, while protesting in a peaceful manner.
Reviewing the current protests' impact on investment in the country, Dušan Šoškić, a professor at the Faculty of Economics, University of Belgrade, told bne IntelliNews that, “protests demanding respect for the constitution, the law, strengthening of institutions, better education, rule of law, and the fight against corruption can only encourage credible investors to invest more and better in Serbia in the future, with better results for the real well-being of the country.”
He added: “the fulfilment of the demands of the protesters [who demand more effective institutions] in Serbia should be a good sign for the future of investments and economic development in Serbia.”
Statistics office data from January also contradicts Vucic’s claim. The tourism and industrial production sectors continued to show positive growth. According to data released by the country's statistics office on February 28, Serbia recorded a 16% increase in foreign tourist numbers in January 2025 compared to the same month last year. The same data also showed that industrial production in January was 0.4% higher than in January of last year.
Despite the ongoing political instability in Serbia, Šoškić looks at the long-term picture. “Advocacy for the fight against corruption, for better functioning of state institutions, and for respecting the law can only be beneficial for the country’s economy. This is especially true if the country is at the bottom of the European continent in the Transparency International corruption perception index,” said Šoškić.
Serbia dropped to 105th place on the latest index, meaning it is below all but a handful of European countries such as Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Russia and Ukraine.
Economist Saša Đogović, speaking to Danas, made a similar point to Šoškić, saying that the current student blockades and protests do not have any significant negative effect on the country's economy. Regarding investments, Đogović pointed out that even if foreign direct investments show a negative trends, they are certainly not caused by the protests "but rather [are] a consequence of the lack of effective institutions, which are exactly what these protests are addressing."
The political instability caused by student-led protests is only one of the challenges to investment in Serbia. Other issues include bureaucratic delays and corruption, loss-making state-owned enterprises, a large informal economy, an inefficient judiciary. Despite all these, the majority of analysts believe investment will continue to grow in Serbia.
According to the US 2024 Investment Climate Statements for Serbia, steps taken already on macroeconomic reforms, financial stability, fiscal discipline, and the government's prioritisation of foreign investment have enabled the country to maintain a relatively stable investment sector.
Shortly before the protests started, in October 2024 Serbia achieved its first-ever investment-grade credit rating when international credit rating agency Standard & Poor's (S&P) Global Ratings upgraded the country's long-standing BB+ rating to BBB-. Serbia thus became the first Western Balkans state and EU candidate to obtain investment-grade status.
Since then, another major credit rating agency, Fitch, has raised concerns about the ongoing political instability in Serbia, saying this could delay reforms and project implementation. However, its latest report indicates that the impact of the current political situation on the country's policy mix will be minimal.
Fitch estimates that Serbia will experience robust investment-led economic growth, underpinned by the Leap into the Future — Serbia Expo 2027 plan, which includes €18bn of investment. While €1.2bn will be specifically allocated to the Expo itself, likely for event-related infrastructure, facilities and operations, the remaining investment will be directed to road and rail, industrialisation, and other infrastructure projects, which could lead to increased interest among investors.
Commenting on Serbia's reputation among investors during the current wave of protests, Šoškić believes that while some investors who have spoken with the current political establishment in Serbia may view the public uprising as an added uncertainty in their investment decisions, this should not be a concern for credible and long-term investments. This is particularly true since such investments should not be tied to the existing group of politicians, as the turnover of politicians is a normal occurrence in democratic countries.
Nina Miholjčić Ivković is a researcher based in Serbia with a background in political science and international relations.
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