Serbia has been gripped by months of student protests in response to a tragic accident at Novi Sad railway station in November 2024, when the collapse of a concrete canopy roof claimed 15 lives. The protests have come to resemble a sort of May ’68 moment. Not in the sense that they are occurring in the same global context of cultural change, social liberation and anti-war activism. The demands of the protesters today are much narrower. But the students’ inventive tactics, grassroots organising, daily blockades and sit-ins at universities invite such comparisons.
The president offered his condolences for the dog Donna, who was run over during a protest
What began as an outpouring of anger in response to the fatal incident in Novi Sad has morphed into a broader movement calling for accountability, and an end to systemic corruption, which many blame for the defective infrastructure at a railway station that had only recently been renovated.
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