Instead of the traditional noisy street party on New Year’s Eve, thousands of protesters led by university students gathered in Belgrade and other Serbian cities overnight to demand political reform and justice in the Balkan country.
Protesters have been actively demonstrating following the tragic collapse of a concrete canopy at the central railway station of the northern city of Novi Sad on 1 November, which resulted in the deaths of 15 people.
The tragedy has been blamed on corruption and poor construction practices by the populist Serbian leadership, leading to widespread public outrage and demands for accountability.
Students from various Belgrade universities have organized protests under the slogan “There is no new year – you still hold us responsible for the old one”.
The crowd chanting “We want justice” fell silent for 15 minutes at 11:52 pm to honor the victims of the Novi Sad tragedy. Many held banners with the red markings that have become a symbol of anti-government protests and told officers they had blood on their hands.
Earlier, he marched past a state-sponsored concert, where the crowd danced to the tunes of folk music. Police secured the area where the concert was taking place and erected metal fencing, directing the protesting crowd onto other nearby streets to avoid contact between the two groups.
The anti-government protesters stressed that despite the festive season, their commitment to demanding justice remains unwavering. The student-led movement has received support from various social groups, including professors, farmers and actors, reflecting widespread dissatisfaction with the leadership of autocratic President Aleksandar Vucic.
Thousands also gathered in Novi Sad and the southern city of Niš for parallel meetings, also led by university students in those cities.
In Belgrade, state-sponsored concerts and other New Year celebrations were held in the city center and in the newly constructed high-rise Belgrade Waterfront neighbourhood, which Vucic claimed to have developed in conjunction with investors from the United Arab Emirates. He has his own project.
Belgrade has become a favorite party destination for tourists on New Year’s Eve with street parties and massive fireworks.
Crowds in Belgrade joined the students braving very cold weather and fog. The New Year’s Eve protests came more than a week after thousands of people rallied together with students, one of the largest gatherings in recent years in the Serbian capital.
Serbia’s public prosecutor on Monday indicted 13 people, including a former minister, over the collapse of a concrete canopy. Protesters say that is not enough because the indictment does not include allegations of potentially corrupt deals during the renovation of the Novi Sad train station that was part of a broader agreement with Chinese companies.
Vucic earlier told pro-government Prava TV that all the students’ demands had been met.
“I have always been willing to talk, I’m asking them now but they won’t talk to me, they have no arguments, the prosecutors met their last demands, all the documents they wanted have been published. And nothing has happened,” Vucic said, adding that he would not be deterred by street protests.