Tensions at protest in Belgrade, Dijana Hrka begins hunger strike

During a protest in support of Dijana Hrka, the mother of one of the 16 people killed in a canopy collapse in Novi Sad a year ago who went on a hunger strike on Sunday, an incident occurred in downtown Belgrade when pyrotechnics were thrown at demonstrators from the direction where government supporters were gathering.

A pyrotechnic device was thrown from the so-called "Caciland" near the National Assembly of Serbia, after which the gathered demonstrators headed towards the government supporters gathering in that tent settlement.

A scuffle then broke out, but the police reacted and separated the two groups, an RFE/RL reporter reported.

The commander of the Police Brigade ordered the citizens to move 30 meters back.

Dijana Hrka went on hunger strike at 11:52, when 16 minutes of silence began for the 16 people killed in the collapse of a canopy at the Novi Sad Railway Station on November 1, 2024.

During the day, a large number of citizens gathered near the Parliament, both people who came to support Hrka and supporters of the government on the other side of the police cordon.

During the evening, cannon shots were heard, and pyrotechnics were repeatedly thrown at Hrka supporters from the "Ćacilend" tent settlement between the Parliament and the Presidency, where a large group of younger men had previously arrived.

A tense atmosphere prevailed in front of the Serbian Parliament throughout the day, with citizens shouting insults at Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and supporters of the government. Meanwhile, the number of supporters of the government in the so-called "Ćaciland", a tent settlement between the Parliament and the Presidency building, has also increased.

Protests in support of Dijana Hrka were also organized in other cities in Serbia.

Earlier in the day, an incident occurred at a rally in support of Hrka when police seized a bus owned by Milomir Jaćimović, which was transporting students to the rally, eyewitnesses to the protest told Radio Free Europe (RSE).

Jaćimović was taken into custody at the Stari Grad Police Department, announced the Students of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Blockade. RFE/RL has not received official confirmation from the police.

Jaćimović became known to the public because he transported students to protests, for which, he claims, he suffered pressure from supporters of the government.

Dijana Hrka told reporters that she went on a hunger strike at 11:52 a.m., and that the tent she will be staying in will soon be set up near the Serbian Parliament, but not in the planned location because the area in front of the Parliament and the camp of government supporters is guarded by a police cordon and does not allow access.

Hrka, who is wearing a T-shirt with the inscription "Mom against machinery", an icon and a photo of her son, stated that she will fight "for justice until the end", meaning that she is on a hunger strike until further notice.

She stated that leaders of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) promised her that those responsible for the canopy collapse would be put in prison, but that did not happen a year after the accident.

She also said that she is receiving threats via social media and that she is the subject of conspiracy theories about how her son Stefan Hrka is alive, and that this is "unforgivable."

The crowd gave Diana a long round of applause after she addressed the press.

At a commemorative rally in Novi Sad on November 1, tens of thousands of people paid tribute to those killed in the collapse of the Novi Sad Railway Station canopy.

A year after the death of 16 people and the serious injury of one, no one has been found guilty.

In the early morning hours of November 1, citizens gathered near the Novi Sad station building, where the tragedy occurred a year ago. They left flowers and candles there, and at 11:52, the time the canopy collapsed, a 16-minute silence was held in memory of the victims.

Dijana Hrka, whose son was among the victims, said in a speech to the crowd at the rally on November 1 that she was embarking on her own fight and announced a hunger strike in front of the Belgrade City Assembly.

"I need to know who killed my child, who killed 16 people. Someone must be held accountable for this," she said.

The tragedy in Novi Sad changed Serbia – on one side is the government, embodied in the populist leader Aleksandar Vučić, while on the other side are anti-government forces, led by the student protest movement.

Thousands of anti-government protesters are on the streets of Serbia demanding early elections. The government is leaving room for early elections, but is refusing to call them.