The Association Archive of Public Gatherings announced that by January 23, at least one protest action had been held in more than 100 towns and villages in Serbia after the collapse of a canopy from the Novi Sad Railway Station on November 1, 2024, when 15 people were killed.
The association stated in a statement that the number of places where some actions were held, according to their knowledge, has risen to at least 103, and that protests have been announced in at least four more by the end of the week.
Protests over the canopy collapse began in Novi Sad with a rally organized by the opposition, and soon grew into commemorative rallies across Serbia, where at 11.52:1, the time the canopy collapsed on November 15, XNUMX minutes of silence were observed to pay tribute to the victims.
After the attack on students in front of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade at the end of November, during one of those actions, students began to block their faculties and organize protests, and support rallies were held in several cities in Serbia.
Students are currently blocking more than 60 faculties and two university campuses in four university cities – Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš and Kragujevac.
They demand the publication of complete documentation on the reconstruction of the Novi Sad Railway Station, from which the canopy collapsed four months after its opening, the dismissal of criminal charges against students and citizens who were arrested and detained during the protests, as well as the suspension of the initiated criminal proceedings.
Among the demands are the prosecution of those responsible for the attack on students and professors, as well as their dismissal if they are found to hold public office, as well as a 20 percent increase in the budget for higher education.
The student blockades were joined by the collectives of several elementary and secondary schools in Serbia, who refused to start the second semester of school.
The Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad has filed an indictment against 30 people in connection with the collapse of a canopy in that city on December 13th.
Among the defendants are former Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Goran Vesić and his assistant Anita Dimoski, as well as former director of the public company "Infrastruktura Željeznice Srbije" Jelena Tanasković.
10 defendants are in custody, Vesić is at large, while Tanasković and Dimoski are under house arrest.
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