Thousands protested in Serbia’s capital, Belgrade on Saturday in what is being considered one of the country’s largest demonstrations in decades. Protesters demanded the publication of all documentation concerning the Novi Sad railway station roof collapse last November, which killed 15 people.
The protest is the culmination of students, teachers, farmers and other ordinary citizens marching on foot from all across the country to meet in Belgrade, where they were welcomed by a large mass of people. Many protesters arrived from Subotica and Novi Sad, two of the largest cities in Serbia.
In addition to the publication of documents, protesters are demanding the prosecution of all those involved in the railway crash, including public officials, a halting to the prosecution of students arrested during the protests, and an increase of the education budget.
In what seemed to be an effort aiming to secure the loyalty of the country’s security forces ahead of the upcoming protests, President Aleksandar Vučić announced a pay raise for Interior Ministry employees on Thursday. The move came just days after he stated that those who commit acts of violence will be imprisoned.
In November, a railway station roof collapsed, killing fifteen people. Prosecutors arrested thirteen individuals, including a government minister. Protesters and opposition leaders have repeatedly attributed the accident to low-quality construction driven by government corruption, allegations that have been denied by the ruling coalition despite the resignation of the Prime Minister and other public officials.
The ongoing protests reflect an ongoing discontent with the autocratic rule of the Serbian President and his ruling SNS party, criticized for their misuse of surveillance technology against dissident groups in the country, ties to the criminal underworld, and alleged widespread governmental corruption.