University students and people protest in front of the government building, six months after the deadly train station tragedy that sparked mass demonstrations against corruption, in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
University students and people protest in front of the government building, six months after the deadly train station tragedy that sparked mass demonstrations against corruption, in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
University students and people protest in front of the government building, six months after the deadly train station tragedy that sparked mass demonstrations against corruption, in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
University students and people protest in front of the government building, six months after the deadly train station tragedy that sparked mass demonstrations against corruption, in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
University students and people protest in front of the government building, six months after the deadly train station tragedy that sparked mass demonstrations against corruption, in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
University students and people protest in front of the government building, six months after the deadly train station tragedy that sparked mass demonstrations against corruption, in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
University students and people protest in front of the government building, six months after the deadly train station tragedy that sparked mass demonstrations against corruption, in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
University students and people protest in front of the government building, six months after the deadly train station tragedy that sparked mass demonstrations against corruption, in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
University students and people protest in front of the government building, six months after the deadly train station tragedy that sparked mass demonstrations against corruption, in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Military veterans protest in front of the government building, six months after the deadly train station tragedy that sparked mass demonstrations against corruption, in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Thousands in Serbia mark 6 months since a train station canopy crash that triggered mass protests
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) 鈥 Thousands of people in Serbia on Thursday marked six months since a train station tragedy in the country’s north killed 16 people and triggered a wave of anti-corruption protests that have shaken populist President Aleksandar Vucic’s tight grip on power.
University students and people protest in front of the government building, six months after the deadly train station tragedy that sparked mass demonstrations against corruption, in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) 鈥 Thousands of people in Serbia on Thursday marked six months since a train station tragedy in the country’s north killed 16 people and triggered a wave of anti-corruption protests that have shaken populist President Aleksandar Vucic’s tight grip on power.
Workers’ unions joined university students in Belgrade, Serbia’s capital, to demand changes in labor and strike laws as part of Labor Day protests. In the northern city of Novi Sad, outside the central station where tons of concrete crashed on the people standing or sitting underneath on Nov. 1.
Many in Serbia blamed fueling negligence and disrespect of safety regulations for the tragedy. The concrete canopy at the outer wall of the building before the disaster as part of a major infrastructure deal with Chinese state companies.
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Almost daily protests since the crash have developed into a nationwide movement demanding changes.
Thousands marched in Novi Sad on Thursday after holding a commemorative silence for the victims near the station. , a key force behind the anti-graft movement, set up a stone monument with an inscription saying: “Novi Sad remembers.”
鈥淭oday, we declared the train station building for a memorial site,鈥 a student told the crowd. 鈥淚t will serve as a reminder what happens when corruption takes over the state.鈥
In Belgrade, union flags mixed with student banners outside the Serbian government building in a downtown area as thousands streamed in from various parts of the city for the gathering.
鈥淐orruption kills!鈥 said one student, who did not say his name. 鈥淭his is why the fight against corruption must be held not only at (student) blockades but also at work place.鈥
meanwhile enjoyed a May Day barbecue, drinks and folk music in a pro-government camp outside the parliament building and in an adjacent park by the presidential palace. The guarded camp, set up weeks ago, also hosted masked ex-paramilitary fighters apparently as protection for Vucic.
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Vucic has accused the of staging a 鈥渃olor revolution鈥 under Western instructions to oust him from power and 鈥渄estroy鈥 Serbia. He has organized parallel rallies to counter almost daily street demonstrations that have drawn tens of thousands of people for some of the
Serbia’s populist leader has faced accusations of including In the latest incident on Monday in Novi Sad, police used batons and pepper spray while pushing protesters away from a sports faculty building. Several people were injured.
Serbia is but the accession process recently has been stalled amid Vucic’s increasing authoritarianism.
