The rally at Belgrade’s Slavija Square, one of the largest in recent years, was called by students and farmer unions. It was part of a wider movement demanding accountability over the Nov. 1 collapse of a canopy at a railway station in the country’s north that killed 15 people.
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People attend a protest against the Serbian authorities in Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. Image- AP
Tens of thousands of people gathered in central Belgrade on Sunday to protest against President Aleksandar Vucic and his ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), whom they blame for a railway station roof collapse last month that killed 15 people.
The concrete awning of the recently renovated roof of Novi Sad station caved in on Nov. 1, killing 14 and injuring three. One of the injured died later.
Opposition leaders and the public have taken to the streets repeatedly, blaming the accident on shoddy construction resulting from government corruption and nepotism.
The ruling coalition denies those charges, and Vucic has said those responsible must be held to account.
Smaller rallies were also held in the cities of Nis and Kragujevac. The protest in Belgrade started with a 15-minute silence for the victims, and later chants of “You have blood on your hands!” were heard.
Many in Serbia blame the collapse on widespread corruption and sloppy work on the railway station building in the