More than 23,000 rallies and road blockades have been held in Serbia in the past 10 months following the Novi Sad railway station tragedy, French daily Le Monde reported on Tuesday, describing the wave of demonstrations as the biggest challenge to government authority in the country’s recent history.
Thousands marched in silence in Belgrade on Monday to mark the incident in which 16 people were killed when a station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad. Demonstrators demanded new elections.
President Aleksandar Vucic has rejected calls for a snap vote, repeating claims of a “foreign-backed conspiracy” to oust him, the newspaper said.
Police figures cited by Le Monde put the number of protests since the collapse at over 23,000, with some rallies in Belgrade drawing hundreds of thousands.
The demonstrations, many led by students, are also pressing for transparency in the investigation into the station reconstruction, which involved Chinese, Hungarian and French contractors. Prosecutors have opened two probes – one into the causes of the collapse and another into alleged corruption linked to the €18 million project. Several people, including ministers, have been arrested on suspicion of enabling unlawful gains for two Chinese firms, Le Monde said.
Most protests have been peaceful, but August saw clashes when masked pro-government supporters attacked demonstrators. Both sides blamed each other for the violence, the paper added.