BELGRADE, Serbia — University students in Serbia took a bold step on Monday by initiating a 24-hour blockade at a crucial traffic intersection in the capital city, Belgrade. This action reflects an escalation in their ongoing protests aimed at holding the government accountable for a tragic canopy collapse in November that resulted in the deaths of 15 individuals.
Tractors driven by Serbian farmers, along with thousands of citizens, joined the blockade after weeks of protests focused on seeking justice for the victims of the deadly incident in the northern city of Novi Sad, which many attribute to widespread governmental corruption.
The series of street demonstrations has emerged as one of the most significant challenges to the populist administration’s stronghold on power in Serbia in recent years. In response, President Aleksandar Vucic, alongside Prime Minister Milos Vucevic and Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic, held a press conference where he called for dialogue with the protesting students, emphasizing the need to reduce tensions and engage in conversation.
Despite this invitation, students have previously declined to meet with Vucic, arguing that he is constitutionally ineligible to negotiate with them. “Any kind of a crisis poses a serious problem for our economy,” Vucic noted, adding that the current social unrest is unfavorable for everyone involved.
Accusations of suppressing democratic freedoms have also been directed at Vucic, who continues to seek membership in the European Union for Serbia. The president has suggested that the students are acting on behalf of unnamed foreign interests aiming to destabilize his government.
The ongoing protests have not been without incidents; notably, there were two occasions when drivers crashed into crowds, resulting in injuries to two young women. To prevent such occurrences, traffic police were deployed on Monday to monitor the student blockade, which centers around a major thoroughfare used by commuters and provides access to the main north-south motorway.
During the protest, some students engaged in volleyball games while others relaxed on blankets in the warm weather. Furthermore, they observed a daily 15-minute moment of silence at 11:52, marking the exact time the canopy collapsed at the Novi Sad train station on November 1.
A significant segment of the Serbian population believes that the catastrophic failure of the massive concrete canopy resulted from negligent reconstruction, a situation exacerbated by corruption. The public Prosecutor’s Office has charged 13 individuals, including a government minister and several state officials. However, skepticism remains regarding the investigation’s impartiality, particularly following the release from detention of former construction minister Goran Vesic. The Novi Sad railway station underwent two renovations in recent years as part of a broader infrastructural agreement with Chinese state-owned companies.
