Thousands of people on the streets of Novi Sad. They commemorated the tragedy with 16 minutes of silence
The columns moved from 16 locations commemorating the 16 victims of the accident towards the railway station, where at 11.52 – the exact time when part of the roof collapsed – they honored the memory of the accident victims with 16 minutes of silence and the laying of wreaths.
Thousands of people came to Novi Sad on the night from Friday to Saturday, marching from many cities in the country or arriving on bicycles. A group of students from Novi Pazar marched for 16 days, covering a distance of over 400 kilometers. The largest group reached Novi Sad from Belgrade after a two-day journey.
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How many people took part in the celebrations in Novi Sad?
How long did the silence last for the accident victims?
Where did the celebration participants come from?
What was organized in Novi Sad in connection with the anniversary of the tragedy?
Thousands of people took to the streets of Novi Sad. There was 16 minutes of silence
Early on Saturday morning, a group of motorcyclists left Belgrade, approximately 90 km away, to join the planned celebrations and subsequent demonstration.
Saturday's celebrations began with a memorial service for the victims of the tragedy in the Cathedral in Novi Sad. The liturgy was attended by, among others: representatives of the authorities of this second largest city in Serbia. Today is a day of national mourning across the country and the majority Serb part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska.
Commemoration of the victims of the tragedy in Novi SadANDREJ CUKIC / PAP
In Novi Sad, media reports, there is almost complete silence on Saturday, and residents spontaneously join the marches. Traditionally, farmers on tractors also participate. In addition to the guards appointed by the students organizing the event, veterans and motorcyclists are responsible for security.
Event organizers have planned speeches, a screening of a series devoted to the protests, and marches and demonstrations in the center of Novi Sad for that day.
The tragedy in Novi Sad caused a wave of protests
The accident in Novi Sad – at a station opened after extensive renovation just a few months before the tragedy – triggered a wave of mass protests in Serbia, some of which were among the largest in the country's history. Demonstrators demand responsibility from the authorities and accuse the government of corruption and negligence in making investments.
The initiative in organizing protests was taken by students in December 2024, who blocked over 60 faculties in all academic centers of the country at the same time. Initially, they demanded the publication of documentation regarding the reconstruction of the station, the prosecution of those responsible for beating demonstrators, the suspension of proceedings against people arrested for participating in the protests, and a 20 percent increase in the government spending on higher education.
When these demands were not met, the students asked the state authorities in May to call early parliamentary elections. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic rejected the appeal. The Serbian government accuses protesters of wanting to seize power and regularly refers to their demonstrations as a “color revolution.”
