Thousands in Serbia mark 6 months since a train station canopy crash
that triggered mass protests
[May 02, 2025]
By JOVANA GEC
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Thousands of people in Serbia on Thursday marked
six months since a train station tragedy in the country's north killed
16 people and triggered a wave of anti-corruption protests that have
shaken populist President Aleksandar Vucic's tight grip on power.
Workers' unions joined university students in Belgrade, Serbia's
capital, to demand changes in labor and strike laws as part of Labor Day
protests. In the northern city of Novi Sad, residents left flowers and
lit candles outside the central station where tons of concrete crashed
on the people standing or sitting underneath on Nov. 1.
Many in Serbia blamed alleged rampant government corruption fueling
negligence and disrespect of safety regulations for the tragedy. The
concrete canopy at the outer wall of the building had been renovated
twice before the disaster as part of a major infrastructure deal with
Chinese state companies.
Almost daily protests since the crash have developed into a nationwide
movement demanding changes.
Thousands marched in Novi Sad on Thursday after holding a commemorative
silence for the victims near the station. University students, a key
force behind the anti-graft movement, set up a stone monument with an
inscription saying: "Novi Sad remembers."
“Today, we declared the train station building for a memorial site,” a
student told the crowd. “It will serve as a reminder what happens when
corruption takes over the state.”
In Belgrade, union flags mixed with student banners outside the Serbian
government building in a downtown area as thousands streamed in from
various parts of the city for the gathering.
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University students and people protest in front of the government
building, six months after the deadly train station tragedy that
sparked mass demonstrations against corruption, in Belgrade, Serbia,
Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
“Corruption kills!” said one student, who did not say his name.
“This is why the fight against corruption must be held not only at
(student) blockades but also at work place.”
Populist supporters of President Vucic meanwhile enjoyed a May Day
barbecue, drinks and folk music in a pro-government camp outside the
parliament building and in an adjacent park by the presidential
palace. The guarded camp, set up weeks ago, also hosted masked
ex-paramilitary fighters apparently as protection for Vucic.
Vucic has accused the anti-graft protesters of staging a “color
revolution” under Western instructions to oust him from power and
“destroy” Serbia. He has organized parallel rallies to counter
almost daily street demonstrations that have drawn tens of thousands
of people for some of the biggest ever anti-government rallies in
the country.
Serbia's populist leader has faced accusations of stifling
democratic freedoms, including pressure on the protesting students.
In the latest incident on Monday in Novi Sad, police used batons and
pepper spray while pushing protesters away from a sports faculty
building. Several people were injured.
Serbia is formally seeking European Union membership but the
accession process recently has been stalled amid Vucic's increasing
authoritarianism.
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