In Belgrade, students blocked a highway to protest against President Vučićʼs policies

A 24-hour blockade of a key traffic intersection began in the Serbian capital, Belgrade, on January 27. The protesters are protesting the policies of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and his ruling Serbian Progressive Party.

This is reported by the Balkan service of Radio Liberty.

Protests in Belgrade and other cities in Serbia have been ongoing for over a month. They began after a tragedy in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad, where 15 people died when a canopy collapsed at a train station on November 1, 2024.

Initially, protesters demanded a transparent investigation into the tragedy and asked to bring those responsible to justice. But later, students, the opposition, and civil society organizations accused Prosecutor General Zagorka Dolovac and prosecutors of a sluggish investigation into the roof collapse, which they deny. They say the government and President Aleksandar Vučić are leading the country down the wrong path.

Thousands of Belgrade residents joined the protests, along with some farmers who brought their tractors to the capital. They were used to protect protesters — at other protests, cars have twice rammed into crowds of demonstrators.

President Vučić, on the one hand, promises to listen to the demands of the protest participants. In particular, on January 25, he called on officials to publish all documents related to the reconstruction of the station — this is one of the demands of the students, as they are convinced that the building collapsed due to corruption of officials during the construction.

At the same time, Vucic and his supporters accuse the demonstrators of collaborating with unnamed foreign forces that allegedly seek to destabilize Serbia.

• The disaster in Novi Sad occurred on November 1, 2024. The roof along the entrance to the train station suddenly collapsed. 14 people died from injuries, several more were injured. On November 3, hundreds of activists gathered near government buildings in Belgrade, accusing the authorities of negligence. People came with banners reading "Blood on your hands" and "Corruption kills" and demanded the arrest of the countryʼs president Aleksandar Vučić. Protests and demonstrations continue to this day.

For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine please follow us on X.