Serbia enters new year with student protests over train station tragedy

Serbia rang in the new year with student protests demanding accountability over a train station roof collapse in Novi Sad that killed 15 people in November.

The accident occurred on November 1 in Novi Sad at a newly renovated train facility, killing 14 people — aged six to 74 — on the spot, with a 15th victim dying in the hospital weeks later.

Public outrage over the tragedy has sparked nationwide protests, with many blaming the deaths on corruption and insufficient oversight of construction projects.

In Belgrade, university students held a protest march late Tuesday through the city center, where local authorities organized New Year's Eve celebrations with music and performances.

"There is nothing to celebrate," the students said in a message sent before the protest began.

Alongside the Belgrade march, students in Nis, a university hub in southern Serbia, also protested by disrupting concerts, while Novi Sad, which had no New Year's Eve celebrations, hosted a student demonstration.

In Belgrade and Nis, students observed a 15-minute silence at midnight to honor the 15 victims, bowing their heads solemnly as fireworks lit up the sky to mark the new year.

In Novi Sad, students placed black ribbons on City Hall.

Residents gathered at the central square in Novi Sad, invited by the students, some carrying banners that read, "For the New Year, I wish for justice."

Before midnight, students, holding up mobile phone lights, recited poems and sang songs in silence.

The protests come after 13 people, including former transport minister Goran Vesic, were charged in connection with the tragedy. Vesic resigned days after the incident.

The Serbian government has faced eight weeks of nationwide protests since the deaths, with many accusing authorities of corruption and poor oversight.

In response to public pressure, the government made all documentation related to the controversial station reconstruction public, followed by the Prosecutor's Office doing the same.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic reiterated earlier Tuesday that "all student demands had been met" and suggested the issue had become "a matter of politics."

To quell public anger, the authorities have promised various subsidies for young people in recent weeks.

However, students continue to protest, and nearly all faculties at state universities across the country remain blockaded.

They argue that responsibility has not been properly assumed and are further angered by government representatives accusing them of "protesting for money" and "serving foreign intelligence."

Tensions remained high during the New Year's protests, which continued after midnight in Belgrade.

"The students have risen," they chanted, carrying banners reading, "This is our country too" and "Stop lying."