NOVI SAD, Serbia — Tens of 1000’s of protesters poured into Serbia’s second metropolis on November 1 because the nation marked the primary anniversary of the lethal railway station roof collapse in Novi Sad that sparked Serbia’s largest anti-government protests in many years.
The tragedy within the northern city on November 1, 2024, killed 16 folks and shocked the general public amid reviews that corrupt practices led to shoddy building on the railway station, a flagship authorities mission led by Chinese companies.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic referred to as for a peaceable commemoration as the federal government declared November 1 a nationwide day of mourning.
Novi Sad was filled with folks as protesters streamed into town by automobile, bus, or on foot from throughout the nation.
The protesters noticed 16 minutes of silence — one for every sufferer — beginning at 11:52 a.m. native time, when the roof got here down following renovation work a 12 months in the past.
Some protesters carried giant purple hearts bearing the names of the victims, held white flowers, and laid wreaths in entrance of the railway station.
“We simply need those that had been accountable to be delivered to justice for this crime that occurred,” one of many protesters, who gave solely her first identify, Brankica, advised RFE/RL.
Masha, a protester who got here from the capital, Belgrade, to pay her respects to the victims, mentioned she doesn’t imagine that these answerable for the tragedy will ever be held accountable.
“Only time will inform if will probably be decided who was responsible and accountable, however I’m not optimistic it’ll occur,” she advised RFE/RL.
Dijana Hrka, whose son, Stefan was killed within the roof collapse, introduced she was beginning a starvation strike in entrance of Belgrade City Hall.
“I have to know who killed my baby, who killed 16 folks. Someone should be held accountable for this,” she mentioned.
Flags had been flying at half-staff throughout the nation, and public broadcasters adjusted programming to replicate the somber event. Entertainment occasions had been postponed in accordance with a authorities decree revealed earlier this week.
Vucic shared a photograph of himself in a church holding a candle at a commemoration ceremony in Belgrade for the victims of the catastrophe.
“Let the names of these killed be a reminder that human life is above any divisions [in society,]” the president wrote in an Instagram submit.
During his deal with on the eve of the Day of National Mourning, Vucic expressed “remorse” over what he described as errors of the previous.
“At some factors, I actually mentioned some issues that I remorse saying, about college students, protesters and different folks. I apologize for that,” Vucic mentioned, with out specifying which statements he was referring to.
He additionally mentioned he is aware of that some persons are nonetheless offended that “these accountable haven’t but been recognized, not to mention punished” for the cover collapse.
“This is disappointing for me as properly, though such processes are sophisticated and take a very long time in different international locations. I can perceive the anger of the households. I sincerely hope that these questions will likely be answered quickly,” Vucic mentioned.
‘Far-Right Groups Seek To Hijack Protests?’
As Serbian college students mark the primary anniversary of the deadly constructing collapse, there are indicators that far-right nationalist teams have sought to infiltrate and even hijack the motion.
Early calls for for political accountability, adopted by requires the resignation of Vucic and new elections, have been complemented with robust anti-Kosovo rhetoric.
“I’m proud once we battle for our nationwide pursuits — for Kosovo and Metohija,” one protester, who recognized himself solely as Stefan, advised RFE/RL’s Balkan Service. He was utilizing a time period favored by the Serbian authorities, which doesn’t acknowledge Kosovo as an impartial state.
The yearlong pupil protests are the biggest in Serbia since demonstrations that led to the toppling of Yugoslav chief Slobodan Milosevic 25 years in the past.
The demonstrations had been marked by a dedication to strict political neutrality, specializing in requires a radical investigation and retaining a distance from each ruling and opposition events.
A Rightward Shift
The first main rightward shift got here on June 28, on the anniversary of the 1389 Battle of Kosovo Polje, a charged date in Serbian politics that was utilized by nationalists to justify the Balkan wars that adopted the collapse of Yugoslavia within the Nineties.
During a protest that day, audio system made calls to “defend the Serbian folks” outdoors the nation’s borders, apparently referring to giant ethnic Serbian communities in Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
“Speakers had been chosen to focus on each the motion’s range and the concept of nationwide unity,” {an electrical} engineering pupil from Belgrade, who declined to be named, advised RFE/RL.
Other individuals who had taken half in protests felt alienated by the rhetoric.
“These are usually not the values I stand for. If they need my help or my vote, they should clearly distance themselves from that rhetoric,” mentioned a lady who gave her identify solely as Milica.
Milos, a person in his fifties who has been becoming a member of anti-government protests for the reason that Nineties, mentioned that “after cooling down” he understood the speeches as “a populist transfer — an try to achieve broader audiences forward of potential elections.”
The pupil name for early elections has not been profitable. But forward of scheduled native ballots in October, the warmth turned up once more.
Law college students in Belgrade organized a rally demanding accountability for “violations of Serbian rights” in Kosovo. On social media, organizers accused Serbia’s authorities of “betraying Kosovo.”
Ultranationalist and far-right teams — a few of them banned by Serbia’s Constitutional Court — appeared alongside college students, though solely about 1,000 folks attended. This was far fewer than at many different protests.
‘Louder And Better Organized’
Shortly afterwards, a European Parliament decision condemned what it referred to as “nationalist narratives” in elements of the protest motion.
“The proper is completely attempting to take over the protests, but it surely’s not that large. It’s simply louder and higher organized,” Dusko Radosavljevic, a professor on the regulation and enterprise school on the University of Novi Sad, advised RFE/RL.
He added that the looks of extremist teams at demonstrations was usually staged.
“These are often provocations organized by safety companies on the state payroll, meant to create confusion,” he mentioned.
“In a divided society like ours, many college students nonetheless cannot inform the distinction between wholesome patriotism and nationalism,” mentioned Boris Kojcinovic, a philosophy pupil from Novi Sad. He recalled nationalists grabbing European Union flags from protesters however added: “I really feel most of us are right here for one objective — to construct a wholesome society.”
‘You Won’t Divide Us’
That message has additionally resonated in Sandzak, a area in southwestern Serbia with a Muslim majority.
Marching beneath the message “You Won’t Divide Us,” college students from Sandzak made a 400-kilometer protest march to Novi Sad, arriving on November 1, to mark the anniversary.
A welcome ceremony lasted for greater than 4 hours. The largest group — almost 4,000 college students who had walked about 80 kilometers from Belgrade — marched into Novi Sad shortly earlier than midnight.
“The feeling is unbelievable — this variety of folks, this quantity of constructive power, and love within the air is one thing that may’t be described in phrases. It merely must be skilled,” Marija, a pupil from Novi Pazar, advised RFE/RL.
Vladimir Lekic, who got here from Mladenovac, close to Belgrade, to welcome the scholars in Novi Sad, advised RFE/RL that in “regular international locations,” the protesters’ calls for “would have been met way back, and the demonstrations would already be over.”
“Here, folks have to present their final atom of power to get something completed. This is a good pupil sacrifice — we’ll see what comes of it,” he mentioned.
During earlier mass protests in March, President Vucic acknowledged the “huge detrimental power and anger” directed at authorities and mentioned that “we must change ourselves.”
However, pupil teams haven’t been quieted, citing a scarcity of progress on reforms and on holding these answerable for the Novi Sad catastrophe accountable.
