Huge protest one year after the tragedy in Novi Sad train station in which 16 people died, including 2 children. Tens of thousands of people are demanding justice and early elections in Serbia

Tens of thousands of people will gather in Novi Sad, northern Serbia, on Saturday to pay tribute to the victims who lost their lives in the tragic train incident in 2024 and to demand transparency, justice and new elections.

Participants will observe 16 minutes of silence. PHOTO: X/@NovaSlovenija

Tens of thousands of people are expected on Saturday in front of the train station in Novi Sad, one year after the fatal accident that shocked Serbia, notes AFP, taken by News.ro.

Participants will observe 16 minutes of silence, starting at 11:52 local time (12:52 Romanian time) — the exact moment when, on November 1, 2024, the concrete roof of the newly renovated station collapsed. The tragedy killed 14 people on the spot, including two children, and two other injured people later died, bringing the death toll to 16.

The disaster sparked one of the largest protest movements in Serbian history, led mainly by students. For opponents of President Aleksandar Vucic, the accident symbolizes endemic corruption in state-funded infrastructure projects.

350 kilometer march for justice

As early as Friday evening, thousands of people started arriving in Novi Sad. Among them were students from the south of the country, from Novi Pazar, who walked over 350 kilometers in 16 days.

The students, who have turned the foot marches into a recurring form of protest, say that this way they can reach as many localities as possible to make their demands known and to counter the negative image promoted by the pro-government media, which portrays them as “agents of foreign powers”.

After the moment of silence, the demonstrators have scheduled speeches, readings and a symbolic march to the banks of the Danube.

Repression of protesters

Although most of the protests over the past year have been peaceful, last summer there were violent incidents between the president's supporters and demonstrators. Several hundred people were arrested, and the authorities tightened the repression.

The situation led the European Parliament to adopt, last week, a resolution supporting the right of the Serbs “to demonstrate peacefully” and condemn “firm state repression”.

As a sign of respect for the victims, the Serbian government has declared a day of national mourning, calling for flags to be flown at half mast.

The president apologizes but avoids the topic of the election

In a speech delivered on Friday, President Aleksandar Vucic admitted that “made statements he regrets” to the students, after months of allegations that they were “pay to oust him from power.”

“I'm sorry,” Vucic said, calling for dialogue, but without mentioning early elections, one of the protesters' main demands.

The protesters are also demanding a transparent investigation and punishment of those responsible for the accident at the train station.

Three ongoing investigations

Currently, three investigations are underway: a local one, regarding the causes of the roof collapse; one by the Public Prosecutor's Office for the fight against organized crime and corruption, which is investigating alleged fraud of millions of euros in the renovation contract, and an investigation by the European Public Prosecutor's Office regarding a possible embezzlement of European funds allocated to the project. In the first investigation, in mid-September, prosecutors requested the indictment of 13 people, including two former ministers.