Tens of Thousands Protest in Belgrade Against Government and President Over Railway Station Collapse
BELGRADE – Tens of thousands of people gathered in central Belgrade on Sunday to protest against President Aleksandar Vucic and his ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) over the recent railway station roof collapse that killed 15 people.
The protesters blame the accident on shoddy construction resulting from government corruption and nepotism, charges that the ruling coalition denies. During the protest, the crowd switched on the lights of their mobile phones and stood in silence for 15 minutes to commemorate the victims.
The protesters also chanted slogans such as “Vucic, thief!” and held up banners reading “You have blood on your hands”. Opposition leaders and the public have been taking to the streets repeatedly to demand accountability from those responsible for the tragedy.
The protest was peaceful, with no reports of violence or arrests. Meanwhile, students at state universities in Belgrade, Kragujevac, and Nis have been staging a weekly protest for the past few weeks, demanding the release of all documents relevant to the renovation of the station and criminal prosecution of officials responsible for the disaster.
The students, who are also demanding the resignation of President Vucic, have been blocking traffic in front of their faculties for 15 minutes each day to commemorate the 15 victims of the railway station collapse. The protest is expected to continue until their demands are met.