11:52
On November 1st, 2024, a tragedy occurred in the city of Novi Sad that shook the whole of Serbia.
The collapse of a canopy at a railway station killed fourteen people on the spot, including three children, and fifteen victims were eventually confirmed after the death of a woman who was in serious condition for more than two weeks after the incident.
The railway station building in Novi Sad is the work of architect Imre Farkaš and his collaborators from the project studio "Arhitekt". It was built back in 1964 in eight months, while its reconstruction lasted three years.
The Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, Goran Vesić, pointed out that the Novi Sad railway station was reconstructed in two phases.
The reconstruction of the said station began in October 2021, so the station was officially opened for the first time in the midst of the election campaign in March 2022. Soon it was closed again due to works.
The reconstructed building of the railway station was officially opened on July 5th 2024 - for the second time.
A few days after the tragedy, Goran Vesić, resigned and said "that he does not accept the blame for the accident that happened". But who will if not those responsible?
The public is rightly demanding explanations.
This is what the students of today's Serbia are fighting for. For the past three months, students across the country are blocking the work of faculties and colleges. The wave of student protests is spreading widely across Serbia, demanding accountability, demanding change.
The students highlighted demands that they still do not give up.
1. Publication of complete documentation on the reconstruction of the Railway Station in Novi Sad, which is currently illegally hidden, bearing in mind that it is a reconstruction of a public facility and that these documents must be public.
An insight into the documentation would show which omissions were made during the design, execution and supervision of works, and which the current government is trying to hide. Three months have passed since the collapse of the canopy, and the public still does not know and has not been informed about the responsibility of specific people and institutions that were involved in the implementation of this project.
Hiding documentation raises suspicions of irregularities and corruption, thereby jeopardizing trust in public projects. Students demand the immediate publication of all contracts, documentation, reports on supervision and quality of works, in order to clearly establish responsibility and prevent the repetition of similar events. Transparency in such situations is necessary to ensure the safety of citizens.
2. Confirmation by competent authorities of the identity of all persons for whom there is a basic suspicion that they physically attacked students and professors, as well as the initiation of criminal proceedings against them. Also dismissal of the mentioned persons if they pretend to be public officials.
Recorded attacks on students and professors during protests require an adequate response from the competent authorities. Physical violence against participants in public gatherings seriously threatens the rights and freedoms of citizens.
Students request the Ministry of Internal Affairs to identify the perpetrators, file criminal charges and ensure the prosecution of those responsible. Timely action in this case is crucial for preserving the basic rights and safety of all participants in public activities.
3. Dismissal of criminal charges against arrested and detained students, as well as suspension of already initiated criminal proceedings.
During the protests, many students and citizens were detained or arrested, and some were charged without clear evidence. Some spent up to 23 days in detention, in inhumane conditions. Detention without a legal basis is a violation of the right to freedom of expression and assembly.
The students demand that all accusations that are not based on evidence be immediately dismissed, and those responsible for unjustified deprivation of liberty be held accountable. Such behavior sends a negative message and creates an atmosphere of fear, which is unacceptable in a democratic society.
4. Increase of the budget for higher education in the amount of 20%.
State faculties deserve better conditions. An increase in the budget is necessary to ensure higher quality education and dignified conditions for students and employees.
Blockades began at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade in the second half of November. Unlike earlier protests, the student revolt does not have a single organizer or 'face' of the protest, instead they decide everything by voting at the plenum, in a kind of direct democracy.
However, when they are on the streets, it seems that everyone knows their duty.
Although they do not have a center from which to coordinate blockades at individual faculties, the way they are organized is similar.
While students at the end of the 1990s, when a large protest was organized due to the theft of local elections during the regime of Slobodan Milošević, agreed live on the next steps, today's generations of students are technologically oriented.
On various applications and platforms of social networks, they share information about the schedule of events at the university and this is how they most often agree on shifts at blockades and other actions.
So far, there have been countless protests across the country without any violence. Students want to peacefully achieve their goal and the change they are striving for.
They want their country to be safe for everyone, to be able to rely on their government to do its job. They have opened many doors for older and newer generations to join in and fight for justice without fear.
Video by sviublokade.fdu