Serbian anti-graft protesters march to northern city, plan to block bridges

Students in Serbia protest corruption, demand justice for 15 deaths in building collapse, challenging President Vucic's power.

Hundreds of students protesting graft they blame for 15 deaths in a building collapse marched Friday (January 31, 2025) through Serbia to the northern city of Novi Sad where they plan to block three Danube River bridges this weekend.

They received a hero's welcome from fellow students and thousands of local residents in Novi Said after arriving on foot in their two-day, 80 km (50-mile) journey from the Serbian capital of Belgrade.

A small red carpet had been placed on one of the bridges across the Danube that the students crossed as they entered the city.

The bridge blockade planned for Saturday (February 1, 2025) will mark three months since a huge concrete construction at the railway station collapsed in Novi Sad on Nov. 1, leaving 15 people dead.

Carrying wreaths with the names of the 15 victims, the students from Novi Sad and Belgrade on Friday (January 31, 2025) evening together headed toward the station building to honour the people who died in the accident.

Many people cried when the students from Belgrade arrived, reflecting high emotions over the accident and the continuing struggle for justice.

What started as a protest against suspected corruption in construction contracts has developed into the most serious challenge in years to the country’s powerful populist leader, President Aleksandar Vucic.