Thousands of people took to the streets of Belgrade to protest against President Aleksandar Vucic and his Serbian Progressive Party (SPS). Demonstrators accuse the authorities of corruption and negligence, which they say led to the tragedy at the railway station in Novi Sad last month.
About this informs Reuters.
A concrete canopy at the newly renovated station collapsed on November 1, killing 15 people. Three more people were injured.
The opposition and public activists believe that the tragedy was the result of shoddy construction, which was caused by corruption and nepotism in power structures. In response to the allegations, President Vucic said those responsible should be brought to justice, but denied government involvement in the incident.
In memory of the dead, protesters turned on the lights of their mobile phones and stood in silence for 15 minutes. Posters with inscriptions “Blood on your hands” and shouts “Vuchich, thief!” became a symbol of protest. Protests have been going on for over a month, covering various cities in Serbia.
Authorities have released more than 130 documents related to the station’s renovation in an effort to assuage public discontent.
Vucic, for his part, accused foreign intelligence agencies of trying to destabilize the country through these protests and said he was not going to leave the country, comparing himself to Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.
