Instead of partying, thousands in Serbia turn New Year celebrations into anti-government protests

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Instead of traditional lively street parties, tens of thousands of university student-led protesters gathered overnight in Belgrade and other Serbian cities on New Year’s Eve to demand political reform and political reform in the Balkan country. justice.

Protesters have been actively demonstrating after the tragic collapse of a concrete roof at the central train station in the northern city of Novi Sad on November 1, killing 15 people.

The tragedy has been blamed on corruption and substandard construction practices by the populist Serbian leadership, triggering widespread public protests and demands for accountability.

Students from various universities in Belgrade organized the protest under the slogan “There is no New Year – you still owe us the old year”.

The crowd, shouting “We want justice”, fell silent at 11:52 pm and observed 15 minutes of silence in memory of the victims of the Novi Sad tragedy. Many carried banners emblazoned with red handprints, which have become a symbol of anti-government protests, telling authorities they had blood on their hands.

Earlier, they walked past a state-sponsored concert where the crowd danced to the strains of folk music. Police guarded the area where the concert was held and erected metal fences while directing protesters to other nearby streets to avoid contact between the two groups.

Anti-government protesters stressed that despite the holiday season, their commitment to seeking justice remained unwavering. The student-led movement, which has drawn support from various social groups including professors, farmers and actors, reflects wider dissatisfaction with the leadership of authoritarian President Aleksandar Vucic.

Thousands of people also gathered in Novi Sad and the southern city of Nis for parallel gatherings hosted by university students from those cities.

In Belgrade, state-sponsored concerts and other New Year celebrations were held in the city center and in the new Belgrade waterfront high-rise community, which Vucic claimed was his own project with investors from the United Arab Emirates.

Belgrade has become a favorite party destination for tourists during New Year’s Eve celebrations, with street parties and large fireworks displays.

Crowds in Belgrade braved cold weather and fog to join the students. The New Year’s Eve protests come just over a week after tens of thousands of people gathered with students in one of the largest rallies in the Serbian capital in recent years.

Serbian prosecutors on Monday indicted 13 people, including a former minister, over the collapse of a concrete canopy. Protesters say that is not enough because the indictment does not include charges of possible corrupt dealings during the renovation of Novi Sad train station as part of a wider agreement with a Chinese company.

Vucic earlier told pro-government Prva TV that all students’ demands had been met.

“I was always ready to talk, I asked them now but they won’t talk to me, they don’t have any arguments, the prosecutors met their last demands, all the documents they wanted were released, but nothing happened, “Vucic said, adding that he would not be overthrown by street protests.

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Associated Press writer Jovana Gec contributed to this report.