The students of the University of Belgrade organized a large protest rally against corruption and opacity in the city’s central square.

It is perhaps one of the biggest anti-government demonstrations held in the last ten years in Serbia. The student protests began a month ago with occupations in the faculties of the four public universities. A key demand is the attribution of criminal and civil responsibilities for the tragedy at the Novi Sad railway station when part of the roof collapsed on November 1, killing 15 people. The tragedy occurred three months after the station was commissioned following a three-year renovation.

The students arrived at “Slavia” square from their schools organized. They held placards depicting bloody hands and slogans against corruption, opacity and arrogance of power. Theater actors from Belgrade as well as representatives of rural associations from the interior of Serbia took part in the gathering of students. Thousands of ordinary citizens also participated, expressing with their presence their support for the students’ demands.

There were no speeches at the rally and only a 15-minute silence was observed in memory of the 15 victims of the tragedy in Novi Sad. Then the students calmly dispersed.

In the previous days, the president of the Republic, Aleksandar Vucic, tried to appease the anger of the students by declaring that he accepts all their demands. He released documents regarding the renovation of the railway station in Novi Sad and increased the budget for higher education by 20% which was also one of the demands. The students were not convinced and tried to discredit Vucic by asking him to “stop violating the Constitution and not assume powers that do not belong to him”. The president of the Republic returned two days ago offering students subsidized, low-interest mortgages. This offer, instead of being tempting and divisive, was perceived as offensive and rallied the student movement even more.

The students cannot forgive the president of the Republic for the statement he made when the mobilizations started which he claimed were funded by various centers at home and abroad to overthrow the government and cause chaos in the country.

Student demonstrations took place in all major cities of Serbia.