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Tens of thousands of people flocked to a central square in Serbia’s capital on Sunday for a large demonstration against Populist President Aleksandar Vucic and his government, whose iron grip on power has been challenged by weeks of street protests run by university students.
The demonstration in Belgrade’s Slavija Square, one of the largest in recent years, was called by students and farmers’ unions. It was part of a broader movement demanding accountability for the Nov. 1 attacks. Collapse of a canopy at a railway station in the north of the country that killed 15 people.
Smaller demonstrations were also held in the cities of Niš and Kragujevac. The demonstration in Belgrade began with a 15-minute silence for the victims and then with chants of “You have blood on your hands!” They 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, which was renovated twice in recent years as part of questionable megaprojects involving Chinese state-owned companies. Protesters demand that Vucic and those responsible be brought to justice.
Serbia’s popular theater and film actors joined the protest, with actor Bane Trifunovic describing Sunday’s demonstration as “a festival of freedom.”
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In a show of confidence, the Serbian president on Sunday inaugurated a section of a newly built highway in central Serbia. Vucic said he would not give in to opposition demands for a transitional government and accused his opponents of using students to try to seize power.
“We will beat them again,” Vucic said. “They (the opposition) don’t know what to do other than use someone’s children.”
The prosecution has arrested 13 people. on the Novi Sad tragedy, including a government minister whose release later fueled public skepticism about the honesty of the investigation.
The week-long protests reflect broader discontent with Vucic’s government. The populist leader formally says he wants to bring Serbia into the European Union, but has faced accusations of curbing democratic freedoms rather than promoting them.
Opposition parties have said that a transitional government that would prepare for free and fair elections could be a way out of political tensions, as The ruling populists have also been accused of rigging past votes.
Serbia’s government has extended the winter school holidays by starting them almost a week earlier to deal with growing student protests.
Classes at universities across the Balkan country have been suspended for weeks and students have camped inside their faculty buildings. In recent days, more high school students have joined the movement. Occasional violence has broken out when Pro-government thugs attempted to disrupt the protests.
A group of farmers said Sunday that police took away the tractor they drove into central Belgrade before the protest. In addition to farmers, students in Serbia have also received support at the national level from all walks of life, including their teachers, media personalities, lawyers and prominent people.
Vucic initially accused the students of starting protests over money, but later said he had complied with their demands, including releasing documentation related to renovation work at Novi Sad station.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
