Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Novi Sad, Serbia’s second-largest city, on Saturday to honor the memory of 16 people who died in 2024 when a railway station awning gave way — and to push for snap general elections.
The tragedy sparked student-led protests that at times turned violent and spread throughout the country, putting serious pressure on the 13-year hold that populist leader Aleksandar Vucic and his Serbian Progressive Party have maintained on power.
Those taking part in the demonstrations, along with opposition figures and human rights organizations, argue that the station collapse was a symptom of widespread government corruption and poor oversight of construction projects.
Despite temperatures hovering around 30 degrees Celsius — roughly 86 degrees Fahrenheit — crowds filled the streets of Novi Sad, chanting “Victory” and directing their frustration at Vucic and his party. Many protesters wore t-shirts and carried banners with the message “Students are winning.”
Organizers from the student movement say their goal is to take on Vucic and the Serbian Progressive Party in upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections, both currently scheduled for 2027. Vucic himself has suggested he could call those elections sooner.
Sanja Belic, a university professor from Novi Sad who addressed the crowd, put it plainly: “Without free and fair elections, everything else is empty words.”
The protesters and rights groups have also leveled accusations at Vucic and government officials of manipulating elections, using violence against political opponents, suppressing press freedom, corruption, and connections to organized crime. Vucic and those aligned with him have denied all of these claims.
“We must stand up, express our will, and win; we have no other choice,” said Goran Sajin, a protester in his 50s who joined the Novi Sad rally.
While the demonstration was underway, Vucic appeared in a live television broadcast and announced that his own supporters would hold a counter-rally on June 27. “I invite them not to show anger towards anyone … but to gather under the Serbian flag,” he said.
Serbia is currently a candidate for European Union membership, but is required to make significant improvements in areas including judicial independence, conditions for free and fair elections, and fighting corruption and organized crime. The country also must bring its foreign policy in line with EU positions, which includes imposing sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
