Dueling rallies were held in Serbia after the anniversary of a deadly railway station collapse
Supporters and opponents of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and his ruling SNS party clashed on the streets of Belgrade on Sunday, marking the first anniversary of a train station canopy collapse that killed 16 people and sparked nationwide protests.
The protesters, many of them university students, have been demanding accountability for the tragedy in Novi Sad, which occurred on November 1, 2024, and have accused the government of corruption and mismanagement.
A crowd led by Dijana Hrka, whose son died in the collapse, gathered outside the Serbian parliament building.
Meanwhile, government supporters and students opposing the protesters’ tactics of blockading universities rallied in Pionirski Park, where they have been camping out since March.
Sporadic clashes broke out between the rival groups despite police efforts to separate them. RT Balkan reported that bottles and firecrackers were thrown. One person was arrested, police said.
Serbia’s Interior Ministry blamed “an organized group” within the anti-government protesters for the violence, saying that a tent in Pionirski Park had been set on fire. Supporters of the student blockade movement claimed that pro-SNS activists threw projectiles first.
Vucic, who has repeatedly claimed that the protests were incited from abroad, rejected allegations that his supporters were responsible for the clashes. “The blockaders can’t tolerate democracy or differing opinions,” he told Informer TV on Sunday. Vucic noted that several SNS offices have been set on fire since 2024.
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