Anti-government protesters have erected barricades in Belgrade and Novi Sad, escalating tensions following a large rally demanding new elections in Serbia. The unrest comes after a deadly incident at a renovated railway station in November 2024, where 16 people were killed, sparking demands for accountability and condemnation of mismanagement and corruption.
The student-led protest movement began after a concrete canopy collapsed at a newly renovated railway station in Novi Sad in November 2024, killing 16 people. Activists have demanded accountability, blaming the tragedy on mismanagement and corruption. On Sunday, the student group Blokada FON published a map of roadblocks in Belgrade and urged opposition lawmakers to boycott parliamentary sessions.
President Aleksandar Vucic, who has labeled the demonstrators ‘hooligans paid from abroad,’ has refused to resign or call new elections. ‘Serbia has won. You can’t defeat Serbia with violence,’ he told reporters on Sunday. Interior Minister Ivica Dacic urged protesters to ‘preserve peace and not provoke conflicts with police.’ Also on Sunday, authorities announced the arrest of eight people suspected of planning attacks on state institutions from university campuses. In a separate statement, Dačić said 77 individuals had been detained following the riots in downtown Belgrade.
Twitter users have also weighed in on the situation, with Srdjan Cvijic, a prominent activist, stating that citizens are blocking entire Belgrade in response to police brutality and mass arrests of students. He emphasized that the students had declared the Vučić regime illegitimate and called for civil disobedience. In another tweet, Jack Straw highlighted the scale of the protests, with more than 300,000 demonstrators gathering in Belgrade to call for new elections and protest the EU. He noted that students and citizens have brought the city to a standstill, occupying key bridges, roads, and public squares.