Students lead Danube bridge blockade in protest over Serbia's leadership

This aerial view shows students and citizens blocking one of the bridges in Novi Sad on February 1, 2025, during a protest for the three-month anniversary of the fatal accident at the train station.

Serbia’s student population were the driving force behind mass demonstrations that blocked bridges over the River Danube in the city of Novi Sad on Saturday. Persistent protests have been part of a growing anti-corruption movement that forced the resignation of PM Milos Vucevic earlier this week.

Serbia's students led a mass protest and blocked bridges over the River Danube in the northern city of Novi Sad on Saturday, drawing tens of thousands into the streets to express their anger with the country's populist leadership and to call for change.

Saturday marked three months since a huge concrete canopy at Novi Sad's main railway station collapsed, killing 15 people. The crash on Nov. 1 sparked a wide anti-corruption movement and months of student-led street protests.

Many in Serbia believe that the collapse was essentially caused by government corruption in a large infrastructure project with Chinese state companies.

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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. The issue has come to symbolize a wider discontent over the rule of law in Serbia.

Tens of thousands of people converged on Novi Sad for the blockades, dubbed “Three Months — Three Bridges.” One of the blockades is set to extend until Sunday.

(AP)


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