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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 "Thousands protest in Belgrade to protest against populist Serbian leadership")
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 city of Novi Sad that was twice renovated in recent years as part of questionable mega projects involving Chinese state companies. Protesters demand that Vucic and those responsible face justice.
Serbia’s popular theater and movie actors joined the protest, with actor Bane Trifunovic describing Sunday’s rally as “a festival of freedom.”
In a show of confidence, the Serbian president on Sunday inaugurated a section of a newly built highway in central Serbia. Vucic said he wouldn’t budge to opposition demands for a transitional government and accused his opponents of using students to try to seize power.
“We will beat them again,” said Vucic.“They (the opposition) don’t know what to do but to use someone’s children.”
With inputs from agencies
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