Thousands gather in Belgrade to protest against Serbia’s populist government
Tens of thousands of people gathered in Belgrade Sunday to protest against President Aleksandar Vucic and his ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). The rally, organised by students and farmer unions, was part of a wider movement demanding accountability for the collapse of a railway station roof that killed 15 people last month.
Tens of thousands of people streamed into a central square in Serbia's capital on Sunday for a rally against populist President Aleksandar Vucic and his government, whose tight grip on power has been challenged by weeks of street protests led by university students.
The rally at Belgrade's Slavija Square, one of the largest in recent years, was called by students and farmer unions. It was part of a wider movement demanding accountability over the Nov. 1 collapse of a canopy at a railway station in the country's north that killed 15 people.
“We are all under the canopy,” read one of the banners displayed at the main Belgrade square.
Smaller rallies were also held in the cities of Nis and Kragujevac. The protest in Belgrade started with a 15-minute silence for the victims, and later chants of “You have blood on your hands!” were heard.
Serbia's popular theater and movie actors joined the protest, with actor Bane Trifunovic describing Sunday’s rally as “a festival of freedom.”
(AP)
