Thousands of Serbians marked May 1st by commemorating six months since the collapse of the concrete shelter at the Novi Sad railway station, which claimed the lives of 16 people and sparked one of the largest protest movements in Serbia in recent years.
At exactly 11:52 a.m. the time when the shelter collapsed on November 1, 2024 demonstrators observed a moment of silence in front of the railway station in Novi Sad.
Students and others lit candles and laid flowers in memory of the victims.
After the solemn gathering, participants joined a protest march through central Novi Sad, ending at the city’s Liberty Bridge.
A serious incident occurred during the march, when a car attempted to drive through the crowd. According to reports, the driver bypassed police barriers and sped toward a group of protesters. The vehicle stopped just before hitting the crowd, and no injuries were reported. Police later arrested two individuals in connection with the incident.
Thousands of demonstrators also filled the streets of Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, as students and five major workers’ unions united in one of the most coordinated protests in recent years. The protesters demanded changes to labor laws and stronger protections for workers.
The protests are part of a broader movement that has swept across Serbia since the fatal collapse in November and may represent the most significant challenge yet to the increasingly authoritarian rule of President Aleksandar Vučić.
Student protesters have been demonstrating for months, blocking university departments and denouncing what they call a failure of the rule of law and widespread corruption under Vučić’s leadership — president since 2017 and previously prime minister for three years.
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets to demonstrate in over 200 cities and towns.
The public outcry has shaken Serbia’s leadership. In January, Prime Minister Miloš Vučević resigned amid growing pressure, although no high-ranking official has been held accountable for the collapse.
An indictment against 13 suspects, including former state officials, for negligence leading to the accident has yet to be confirmed.
