(31 Jan 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Novi Sad, Serbia – 31 January 2025
1. Timelapse of students and people arriving at the train station in Novi Sad
STORYLINE:
Hundreds of students protesting corruption that they blame for 15 deaths in a building collapse marched Friday through Serbia to the northern city of Novi Sad where they plan to block three Danube River bridges this weekend.
They received a hero’s welcome from fellow students and thousands of local residents in Novi Sad after arriving on foot on their two-day, 80-kilometer (50-mile) journey from the Serbian capital of Belgrade.
A small red carpet had been placed on one of the bridges across the Danube that the students crossed as they entered the city.
The bridge blockade planned for Saturday will mark three months since a huge concrete construction at the railway station collapsed in Novi Sad on November 1, leaving 15 people dead.
Carrying wreaths with the names of the 15 victims, the students from Novi Sad and Belgrade on Friday evening together headed toward the station building to honor the people who died in the accident.
Many people cried when the students from Belgrade arrived, reflecting high emotions over the accident and the continuing struggle for justice.
One of the students welcoming the arrivals, Dung Grabos, said: "I feel very happy, proud of all these people, from Belgrade that walked for 2 days to get here, it’s not easy. They limp, they have calluses, their feet hurt. I am proud of my Novi Sad who welcomed them.”
What started as a protest against suspected corruption in construction contracts has developed into the most serious challenge in years to the country’s powerful populist leader, President Aleksandar Vucic.
Meanwhile in Belgrade, a driver rammed a car into a silent protest Friday, injuring two women who work as doctors at a nearby psychiatric institution.
Media reports say both hit their heads on the pavement and are being examined.
The incident, the third of its kind in weeks, happened in downtown Belgrade during 15 minutes of silence observed daily throughout Serbia, at the same time as the canopy collapsed in Novi Sad.
Many in Serbia believe that the collapse of the overhang at the train station was essentially caused by government corruption in a large infrastructure project with Chinese state companies.
Critics believe graft led to a sloppy job during the reconstruction of the Novi Sad train station, poor oversight and disrespect of existing safety regulations.
Months long demonstrations have already forced the resignation of Serbia’s prime minister Milos Vucevic this week, along with various concessions from authorities which were ignored by the protesters who say that is not enough.
Vucic and other officials have shifted from accusing the students of working with foreign powers to oust him from power, to offering concessions to the students while issuing veiled threats against them saying that his supporters’ “patience is running out.”
AP Video by Eldar Emric
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