Since the morning, Novi Sad has been filled with protesters from many surrounding areas.
Republican and provincial deputies, as well as city councilors, blocked the entrance to the courthouse on Sutejska Street in Novi Sad this morning.
The blockade started around 8 AM.
Their demand is simple: the release of those who were arrested by the order of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić during a protest a few days ago, following a tragedy that claimed 14 lives in the same city. A few days later, a victim died from their injuries, bringing the total number of deaths to 15.
The protesters are also calling for the prosecution to do its job—investigate the collapse of the tent and identify the individuals and entities suspected of being responsible for the collapse in Novi Sad, which killed 15 people.
They are not alone. Opposition representatives from Belgrade are heading to Novi Sad to join the court blockade that has been ongoing since this morning.
Several incidents have also been reported.
The gendarmerie arrived fully equipped and, according to the deputy leader of the Party of Freedom and Justice, Marinika Tepić, is kicking deputies and councilors participating in the protest.
She also mentioned receiving information that at the second entrance, which is also blocked, a police officer drew a weapon.
Some deputies were also shouting that they were being hit by the police, who forcibly opened a corridor to allow the entry of employees into the building that had been blocked since the morning.
N1 reports that after a long struggle, the police cordon managed to allow some employees to enter the building, but the councilors and deputies refused to back down and continued to push against the police.
The deputies and councilors announced they would remain in the blockade in front of the courthouse and prosecutor’s office until the end of the working hours of these institutions.
The protests, which began in Novi Sad just a day after the tragedy, when part of the railway station building collapsed, killing 15 people, became even louder after videos began circulating on social media.
In the videos, several masked individuals can be seen who, according to followers, are hooligans linked to President Aleksandar Vučić, and whose mission was to disrupt the order of the protest, which started and is being held against the Serbian regime and the contracts it makes with the Chinese.
