Tens of Thousands Protest in Serbia on Anniversary of Novi Sad Roof Collapse

Tens of thousands of protesters flooded Serbia’s second-largest city, Novi Sad, on Saturday, marking one year since a railway station roof collapse killed 16 people — a tragedy many blame on corruption and lack of accountability.

The anniversary rally followed months of nationwide demonstrations demanding prosecutions for those responsible, mounting pressure on President Aleksandar Vučić and fuelling calls for early elections. Protesters arrived by car, bus and on foot, filling one of the city’s main boulevards.

At 11:52 a.m. — the exact time the roof caved in during renovation works on November 1, 2024 — the crowd observed 16 minutes of silence, one for each victim. Many carried red heart placards with victims’ names, laid white flowers and wreaths at the station, and tied name tags to the perimeter fence. A grieving father stood for hours staring at the name of his daughter.

Unlike several summer rallies that saw police use stun grenades and tear gas, Saturday’s march remained peaceful.

“This is a major tragedy for the Serbian people,” said Sladjana Burmaz, a 51-year-old economist from Valjevo. “These people were not killed by accident. Their deaths were the result of a poor system. Justice means holding those responsible to account.”

Vučić posted a photo of himself holding a candle at a memorial service in Belgrade, calling the victims’ names “a reminder that human life is above any divisions.” The government declared a national day of mourning.

The protest movement — led by students, academics and opposition figures — accuses Vučić’s ruling party of corruption, cronyism, collapsing public standards and restricting media freedom, all of which the government denies.

An independent commission of professors, judges and technical experts reported to the European Parliament last week that the collapse stemmed from high-level state graft, substandard construction and unqualified subcontractors. Government officials rejected the findings, with Vučić and Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabić suggesting the incident may have been “an act of terrorism.”

Prosecutors have indicted several senior officials for endangering public safety, but the case awaits court confirmation, blocking the start of a trial.