Thousands march in Serbia to mark deadly train station collapse a year ago

Serbia’s largest antigovernment protest movement in decades is being staged in the northern town of Novi Sad as a result of a train station collapse that resulted in the march of thousands of Serbian youths.

16 people died as a result of the roof failure on November 1st, including four children, and Aleksandar Vucic, a leader of right-wing populists, are still being urged to step down. Vucic has ignored demands for snap elections and deep-seated government corruption, which protesters have attributed to him.

University students began the 90-kilometer (56-mile) march to Novi Sad on Thursday, where they are expected to march alongside tens of thousands of other protesters.

Other people have been marching for weeks, including those who are more than 300 kilometers (185 miles) from Novi Sad, according to Milena Veselinovic of Al Jazeera.

One of the Novi Pazar students, Emina Spahic, stated to Al Jazeera, “The main reason we decided to do the walk is the 16 victims, and no one has been held accountable for their deaths even after a year.”

Another student, Enes Dzogovic, claimed that people who lived in “the most remote places” had aided the students by providing them with “whatever we need” along the way.

They “are always there to assist us,” he said.

escalating protests

What began as a protest against the train’s collapse has since turned into broader animosity toward Vucic’s administration.

In the end, the tragedy was brought to the attention of 13 people, including a former transport minister. However, there is no trial date set for the charges, which require higher court approval.

Government officials have refuted allegations of corruption and lack of oversight.

The Council of Europe and other watchdogs have expressed concern over the excessive use of force by authorities as a result of recent months’ increasingly violent police response.

Police used tear gas and stun grenades at a Pride rally in September, with students accusing them of staging “brutal attacks on their own citizens.”

At a different rally, Nikolina Sindjelic, a student detained in August while conducting a protest, claimed that she was beaten by police while she was being held.

According to Sindjelic, “They have hit us and they will hit us because they know it is all over [for them].”

About 1, 000 protesters have been detained over the past month, according to Al Jazeera’s Veselinovic.

Vucic, who has been in office since 2017, falsely claimed that police actions were influenced by foreign security forces.

Last month, Vucic stated, “We are not going to allow the destruction of the state institutions.” Serbia is a strong, responsible state, according to the statement.