A 16-minute silence was also observed in honor of the victims.
The reason for this protest, held in several cities across Serbia, was the fact that ten months have passed since the collapse of the shelter, an incident that led to mass protests in Serbia and blockades of higher education institutions.
Tens of thousands of citizens in Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, took part on September 1 in a memorial march during an anti-government protest, called by high school students as part of a blockade on the first day of the school year. The rally ended at Republic Square, in the center of Belgrade, with the laying of wreaths and white roses for the 16 victims of the railway station shelter collapse in Novi Sad. A 16-minute silence was also held in honor of the victims.
The reason for this protest, held in several cities in Serbia, was the fact that ten months have passed since the collapse of the shelter, an incident that led to mass protests in Serbia and blockades of higher education institutions. Calls were made for early elections, transparent investigations into those responsible for the incident, as well as for free institutions and media.
MESSAGES FROM THE BELGRADE PROTEST ABOUT MEDIA, JUSTICE, AND CULTURE
Protesters gathered in Belgrade briefly stopped at several places during the march.
In front of the building of the daily newspaper Politika and of Radio Belgrade, a recorded speech was played stating that “free media are dying.” “We remember, we do not remain silent,” it said. In front of the Constitutional Court building, from an improvised loudspeaker, a recorded speech was heard, stating that “the judiciary is an independent power in Serbia only in our schoolbooks.” Guards prevented incidents at one part of the march when the column passed by a street and park where pro-government tents had been set up, Radio Free Europe’s (RFE/RL) Balkan Service reported.
A temporary camp of government supporters had been set up on March 12 in Pioneer Park, near the Presidency of Serbia. Police were also present in that area. The RFE/RL team on the ground reported that some demonstrators threw stones at the police and at those gathered in front of the tents, but everything passed without incidents. Protesters had earlier stopped in front of the Student Cultural Center (SKC), from which students were evicted during the blockade in July, as well as in front of the Ministry of Education.
In front of the SKC building it was said that, under the current government, “culture has become a tool for political promotion.”
The rally began at Sava Square in Belgrade, where through a loudspeaker the names of the 16 people who lost their lives in the collapse of the Novi Sad railway station shelter were read out. During the reading of the names, 16 high school students symbolically handed white roses to the students leading the column. High school students in the blockade had called the protest through social media with the message: “High school students remember.” Radio Free Europe spoke with some of the participants. Milica from the Philological High School said she joined the protest because her parents had been fighting for the same cause for 30 years, and that she was now taking on this struggle.
“I want to continue my schooling here and help fix Serbia,” she said.
Sanja Tasić told RFE/RL that she was at the protest “for the same reason as everyone else.” “Let’s demand changes that still haven’t happened. We want the rule of law, equality for all, a just society,” she said.
Dejan declared that “from time to time we must go out, gather, and show that nothing has been resolved.” “What was started must be finished,” he said.
SEVERAL THOUSAND PEOPLE IN NOVI SAD
The protest in Novi Sad ended near the railway station building, where the accident occurred on November 1, 2024. Demonstrators honored the victims with a 16-minute silence, RFE/RL’s team reported.
Earlier, several thousand people had marched silently from the University of Novi Sad to the railway station, in a protest also organized at the call of high school students.
The column was led by high school students who had called the rally, while its security was ensured by farmers with tractors and motorcyclists. The rally began on the campus of the University of Novi Sad, where the names of the victims of the railway station accident were read with the message: “We will not forget and we will not give up.” On the same day, students and citizens in several Serbian cities honored the 16 people who lost their lives in the collapse of the reconstructed Novi Sad railway station shelter.
TEN MONTHS SINCE THE SHELTER COLLAPSE
The accident at the railway station led to mass protests throughout Serbia, demanding that the authorities take responsibility for the event. The government denied responsibility for the accident, while President Aleksandar Vučić refused to call early parliamentary elections, which protesting students had demanded in May. The Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Novi Sad filed an indictment for the shelter case on December 30, but the Higher Court in Novi Sad returned it “for further processing” in mid-April, explaining that “a better clarification of the matter was needed to examine its foundation.”
This returned the procedure back to the investigation phase.
In another case, the Organized Crime Prosecutor’s Office announced on August 1 that it had arrested 11 people suspected of corruption in connection with the railway modernization project from Novi Sad to the Hungarian border. Part of this project was also the reconstruction of the Novi Sad railway station.
In addition to former Minister of Construction Tomislav Momirović, who was arrested on August 1, the process also involves former Minister Goran Vesić, who is undergoing hospital treatment. The media reported on August 15 that all suspects had been placed under house arrest. (RFE/RL)
