BELGRADE (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of people gathered in central Belgrade on Sunday to protest against President Aleksandar Vucic and his ruling Serbian Progressive Party, which they accuse of being responsible for a railway station roof collapse last month that killed 15 people.
The concrete canopy of the newly renovated roof of Novi Sad station collapsed on November 1, killing 14 people and injuring three. One of the wounded later died.
Opposition leaders and the public took to the streets repeatedly, blaming the incident on shoddy construction resulting from government corruption and nepotism.
The ruling coalition denies these accusations, and Vucic said those responsible must be held accountable.
On Sunday evening, the demonstrators turned on their mobile phone lights and observed silence for 15 minutes to commemorate the victims.
Some shouted, “Fucek, thief!” Others held signs reading, “Your hands are stained with blood.”
“We came here to say ‘stop’ everything that has been happening since 2012 (when Vucic’s party took power),” said Alexa, 30, an IT expert from Novi Sad.
“We want to see an end to corruption and nepotism.”
Students have been protesting at public universities in Belgrade, Kragujevac and Nis for weeks, demanding the release of all documents related to the station's renovation, as well as the criminal prosecution of officials responsible for the disaster.
Every day they block traffic in front of their colleges for 15 minutes to commemorate the 15 victims.
