Thousands of people in Serbia gathered in Belgrade, their capital city, to protest against President Aleksandar Vucic and his political party, the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). The protesters blame them for a tragic accident where a railway station roof collapsed, killing 15 people.
The protest, which was one of the biggest in recent years, took place on Sunday at Slavija Square in Belgrade. University students and farming groups organised the event.
The protest began with everyone staying quiet for 15 minutes to remember the people who died when the concrete roof at Novi Sad station fell in on 1st November. The victims ranged from a six-year-old child to a 74-year-old person. A fifteenth person died in hospital several weeks after the accident.
The police have arrested 13 people over the collapse, including a government minister. However, when this minister was later released, many people started doubting whether the investigation was being done properly.
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People who oppose the government, along with many ordinary citizens, have been holding protests regularly. They say poor building work caused the accident, blaming government corruption and officials giving jobs to their friends and family. The government says these claims aren’t true, and President Vucic has said whoever is responsible must be punished.
At Sunday’s protest, people turned on their mobile phone lights and shouted “Vucic, thief!” Some held signs saying “We are all under the canopy” and “You have blood on your hands”.
The protesters want several things: they want President Vucic and Novi Sad’s mayor to step down, they want the guilty people to be properly punished, they want the government to stop taking legal action against protesters, and they want the people who attacked previous protesters to be arrested.
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