Serbia protesters mark three months since deadly roof collapse

by Rusmir SMAJILHODZIC / Mina PEJAKOVIC

AFP

Thousands of protesters blocked roads and occupied bridges in Serbia's Novi Sad on Saturday to pressure the government three months after the fatal collapse of a train station roof in the city sparked an anti-corruption movement.

The demonstration was the latest in a series of mass protests to rock the Balkan country in the wake of the roof cave-in that killed 15 people in the northern Serbian city in November.

The university student-led movement has put increasing pressure on the government, spurring the resignation of several high-ranking officials, including that of Prime Minister Milos Vucevic earlier this week.

The premier's resignation came after a 24-hour blockade at a major traffic intersection in the capital Belgrade.

It was preceded days before by a general strike that saw schools and small businesses close across the country.

The collapse of the station roof in Novi Sad followed extensive renovations to the building.

The accident fuelled long-standing anger in Serbia over corruption and the alleged lack of oversight in construction projects.

"There is no turning back, no fear, and we will not give up," Jelena Vuksanovic, a philosophy student in Novi Sad, told AFP as protesters converged on downtown for the hours-long rally.

Ahead of the demonstration, traffic entering Novi Sad remained heavily congested, with a long line waiting to pass through tolls to reach the city.

As the protest kicked off, thousands marched through Novi Sad's streets waving flags and signs as they chanted anti-corruption slogans, while blocking roads and occupying the city's three main bridges.

The demonstrators later converged on the largest of the three crossings, Freedom Bridge, where the protesters planned to spend the night and block until Sunday.

Farmers on tractors joined the protest along with residents of Novi Sad, with some setting up food stands to provide meals for demonstrators, while boats flying the Serbia flag sailed along the Danube River cutting through the city.

"I don't think anything like this has ever happened in Novi Sad before. And I am certain that Gen Z will bring change because I believe in all these young people," said law student Nedeljka Mijanovic.

- Student-led -

University students have emerged as the leaders of the protest movement and have been blockading campuses across the country for weeks.

President Aleksandar Vucic and other government officials have swung between issuing calls for talks and firing off allegations that the demonstrators are being backed by foreign powers.

To quell the protests, the government has sought to meet several of the student organisers' demands.

Those measures have included releasing a raft of documents related to the renovations at the station; pardoning protesters arrested at rallies; boosting funding for higher education; and launching criminal proceedings against suspects accused of attacking demonstrators.

But meeting many of the protesters' demands might not be enough to satisfy the students, said Bojan Klacar, the director of CeSID, an organisation monitoring elections in Serbia.

"It has become a broader movement where deeper, systemic changes are being demanded," Klacar told AFP.

Ahead of Saturday's rally, hundreds of students left Belgrade on Thursday for a two-day march to Novi Sad.

They have been greeted by residents in villages and towns along the 80-kilometre (50-mile) route.

"I am walking to pay tribute to all the victims of the great tragedy that took place in Novi Sad," one marcher told AFP as the students departed Belgrade.

The first groups of protesters entered Novi Sad late on Friday, where they were greeted by crowds of cheering local residents.

"You only see this once in your life," Dalibor Mitrovic, 45, told AFP, as he watched the students arrive.

Tensions have flared occasionally in recent weeks, with violence breaking out at some protests. Students have accused pro-government hooligans of targeting demonstrations.

© Agence France-Presse