Mass protests in Novi Sad: Thousands demand resignations of those responsible for the tragedy

(Patria) - Several thousand people set off this evening in a protest march through the central streets of Novi Sad towards the City Hall, demanding government accountability for the deaths of 14 people in the collapse of the Railway Station canopy, reports RSE.

At the head of the column is a large banner reading "You are guilty, you will be held accountable." In the front rows are also photographs of the victims of the accident, including children.

The protest, called by parliamentary opposition parties and citizens' associations, began with a minute of silence for the victims near the site where the accident occurred.

Those gathered demand that both criminal and political responsibility for the accident be established, and the resignations of Serbian Prime Minister Miloš Vučević and Novi Sad Mayor Milan Đurić.

- This neither had to happen, nor should it have, nor is it the first time. Miloš Vučević, Milan Đurić, Aleksandar Vučić (President of Serbia) - you are guilty - actress Vesna Pećinar told those gathered at the start of the protest.

Those gathered chant "Resignations," "Prison," and "Arrest the gang." The protest was also joined by one of the largest and oldest Novi Sad taxi associations, whose vehicles were greeted with applause and shouts of "bravo."

Ahead of the gathering, strong police forces were deployed in Novi Sad.

Young people, including members of the informal groups "Stav" and "Sviće," removed flags from the premises of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party's City Committee before the protest and pasted photographs of officials whose accountability they seek on the windows, along with the message "Corruption kills, you will be held accountable."

They also spilled red paint on the window, shouting - "resignation!"

Those gathered entered a verbal conflict with the director of the Novi Sad Student Center, Zoran Martinović, who tried to prevent them from approaching the premises of the SNS City Committee.

The removal of the flag from the SNS party premises drew a reaction from Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.

A large number of citizens headed towards the City Hall. Due to the crowd, there is also a problem with the signal.#novisad pic.twitter.com/lWZfyATjZB

— Radio 021 (@Radio021) November 5, 2024

"Our Serbian tricolor was destroyed, removed, and taken down by all those who did not love Serbia. Tonight, in Novi Sad, this is being done by those who tell us they love Serbia more than us, the decent citizens of this country," Vučić stated in an Instagram post.

Serbia's Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, Goran Vesić, resigned from that position today, but also said he does not accept blame for the accident.

The causes of the collapse of the concrete canopy at the Novi Sad Railway Station are still unknown.

Vučić stated that it will be "difficult" for the prosecutor's office and courts to establish criminal responsibility for the accident. He added that the canopy that collapsed was not reconstructed, but confirmed that glass was added to it.

- But even with that, it stood for two years, and it is a big question whether that contributed (to the fall) or it corroded and fell due to being 60 years old. Let the experts determine that - Vučić said yesterday, adding that "the iron cables were worn out."

The Novi Sad Railway Station was ceremonially opened in July 2024, after a three-year reconstruction.

The authorities announced that the concrete canopy in front of the main entrance to the station building that collapsed was not included in the reconstruction.

The contractor was the Chinese consortium CRIC&CCCC ("China Railway International Co.Ltd" and "China Communications Construction Company Ltd").

The Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad has so far heard 48 people, including now former minister Vesić, the director of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of Novi Sad, those responsible in "Serbian Railways" and "Serbian Railway Infrastructure," and those responsible for carrying out the works.

The Prosecutor's Office also announced that "relevant documentation has been seized from several institutions, legal and natural persons, and its detailed analysis is ongoing."

They also state that expert examinations have been ordered to determine the cause of the canopy collapse, the failures that led to it, and who is responsible for it.

Following the accident, several protests by activists, the opposition, and some citizens were held in Novi Sad and Belgrade, calling on the authorities to take responsibility.