Anger over the tragic collapse of a concrete canopy at the Novi Sad railway station last week, which killed 14 people, boiled over on Tuesday as protesters clashed with police, The Associated Press reports.
The demonstration, initially peaceful, escalated into violence as protesters threw flares and red paint at the City Hall building, breaking windows and hurling stones.
Police responded with tear gas canisters, while special troops were deployed inside the building.
President Aleksandar Vucic, widely criticized for his authoritarian rule, condemned the violence, warning that “horrific, violent protests are underway” and that those involved would be punished.
However, opposition activists countered, arguing that the public’s frustration over the tragedy, which many attribute to corruption and negligence, is understandable.
The protest began with a peaceful march through the city center, culminating in a somber moment of silence at the railway station for the victims. Organizers read out the names of the deceased, while the crowd chanted slogans demanding justice, including “arrest the gang” and “thieves.”
Later, the protest turned violent, with demonstrators targeting the headquarters of Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party. They threw plastic bottles and bricks, smeared red paint on posters of Vucic and Prime Minister Milos Vucevic, and removed Serbian flags from the building, triggering a furious response from the president.
In a surprise visit to Novi Sad, Vucic appeared before a group of his supporters outside the party headquarters, further escalating tensions.
Critics of Vucic’s government have blamed the collapse on widespread corruption, a lack of transparency, and shoddy work during renovation work at the station, which was part of a larger railway project with Chinese state companies.
The accident, which occurred without warning, has led to calls for accountability. Construction minister Tomislav Momirovic resigned on Tuesday, while prosecutors have questioned over 40 individuals as part of an investigation.
The protest’s organizers have demanded the resignations of Vucic and Vucevic, as well as the release of documentation regarding the railway project.
The Novi Sad railway station, originally built in 1964, was renovated twice in recent years, with the last renovation overseen by Vucic and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The station serves as a key stop on a planned high-speed railway line connecting Belgrade and Budapest.
