Thousands demonstrate in Belgrade to protest a bloody accident at a train station

Tens of thousands demonstrated on Sunday in the Serbian capital, Belgrade, to demand that the country’s leaders bear responsibility for the collapse of the roof of a train station that killed 15 people last month.
For more than seven weeks, the Serbian government has been under pressure from demonstrations across the country following the bloody incident in the northern city of Novi Sad, with many demonstrators accusing the authorities of corruption and not imposing adequate oversight measures.

The beginning of the protests

Sunday’s protests, organized by university students, began with a 15-minute silent vigil in Slavia’s main square in honor of the 15 victims of the accident, followed by a “half-hour noise” by vuvuzela horns.
According to a statement by the Ministry of Interior, about 29,000 people participated in the protest.
The demonstrators demanded the resignation of the Prime Minister and the mayor of Novi Sad and the prosecution of those responsible for the tragic incident.
They also called for dropping legal measures against demonstrators who participated in previous protests and prosecuting the security personnel who assaulted them.

Various subsidies

In an attempt to contain anger and calm the protests, the authorities have promised over the past weeks to provide various subsidies to young people and close schools early before the winter holidays.
Fourteen people, aged between six and 74, were killed on November 1 when the roof of the train station collapsed after renovation work. The 15th victim died in hospital weeks later.