Protesters demand the resignation of Serbia’s chief and mayor of Novi Unhappy metropolis over the lethal accident that killed 15 individuals.
Tens of 1000’s of Serbians have gathered within the capital Belgrade to protest in opposition to President Aleksandar Vucic and his ruling Serbian Progressive Occasion (SNS), which they blame for a railway station roof collapse final month that killed 15 individuals.
The rally, one of many largest in recent times, was known as on Sunday by college college students and farmer unions and occurred in Belgrade’s Slavija Sq..
It started with quarter-hour of silence as a tribute to as many people killed after the concrete cover of the just lately renovated roof of Novi Unhappy station caved in on November 1.
Fourteen individuals, aged between six and 74, have been killed that day and a fifteenth sufferer died in hospital weeks later.
Prosecutors have arrested 13 individuals over the incident, together with a authorities minister whose launch later led to public scepticism concerning the honesty of the investigation.
Opposition leaders and the general public have taken to the streets repeatedly, blaming the accident on shoddy development ensuing from authorities corruption and nepotism. The ruling coalition denies these expenses, and Vucic has stated these accountable should be held to account.
The protesters on Sunday night switched on the lights of their cellphones and shouted “Vucic, thief!” Others held up banners studying “We’re all underneath the cover” and “You’ve blood in your arms”.
“We got here right here to say ‘Cease’ to every part that has been occurring since 2012 [when Vucic’s party took power],” stated Aleksa, 30, an IT knowledgeable from Novi Unhappy. “We need to see an finish to corruption and nepotism.”
Many are demanding that Serbia’s chief in addition to the mayor of Novi Unhappy resign, and that these discovered accountable be prosecuted. They’re additionally calling for authorized proceedings to be dropped in opposition to demonstrators, and for the prosecution of those that attacked the protesters.
Serbia’s widespread theatre and film actors joined the protest, with actor Bane Trifunovic describing Sunday’s rally as “a pageant of freedom”.
Smaller rallies have been additionally held within the cities of Nis and Kragujevac.
In a bid to calm the protests, authorities over the previous weeks have promised varied subsidies for younger individuals. College students – and different residents supporting them – have continued to protest, saying their calls for have solely been partially met.
Regardless of the continued demonstrations, Vucic on Sunday inaugurated a bit of a newly constructed freeway in central Serbia.
Vucic stated he wouldn’t budge to opposition calls for for a transitional authorities and accused his opponents of utilizing college students to attempt to seize energy.
“We’ll beat them once more,” he stated. “They [the opposition] don’t know what to do however to make use of somebody’s kids.”
The weeks-long protests have occurred amidst normal discontent with Vucic’s rule. He had stated he needs to take Serbia into the European Union however has confronted accusations of curbing democratic freedoms relatively than advancing them.
