In Belgrade, students took to the streets for a protest on New Year's Eve (photo).

Students who had blocked university auditoriums in Belgrade for more than a month held a protest march, blocking traffic from the Serbian Parliament building to Student Square. This was reported by 'Radio Svoboda'.

Similar protests were organized in three university centers in Serbia: Novi Sad, Niš, and Kragujevac. Thousands of citizens responded to the call of the student community and joined the student march in Belgrade, and then to the '15 minutes of silence' action. Protesters welcomed the year 2025 by standing silently in Student Square with raised and lit mobile phones, paying tribute to the victims of the tragedy in Novi Sad.

The main demand of the protesters is the publication of the complete documentation regarding the tragedy in Novi Sad, where 15 people died after the roof of the reconstructed railway station building collapsed in November 2024.

During the protest, students carried banners with slogans like 'Corruption - hands up', 'Children's Revolution', 'Faculty of Critical Thinking', 'Students have risen', 'Your hands are in blood', while the main focus was a banner with the slogan of the New Year's protest: 'There's nothing new - you still owe us the old one'.

It is worth noting that protests in Serbia have been ongoing for over a month. The bloody palm has become a symbol of these protests – in memory of the victims – and the 15-minute strikes (corresponding to the number of fatalities in Novi Sad). More than 50 faculties of four state universities and dozens of high schools have been blocked. The primary demand is to hold accountable those involved in the reconstruction of the station in Novi Sad. The concrete roof of the station building collapsed just a few months after its grand opening, despite claims that the reconstruction was carried out to the highest European standards.

Tragedy in Novi Sad

On November 1, part of the roof collapsed at the railway station in the Serbian city of Novi Sad. This led to the death of 15 people and serious injuries to three others.

Protests on November 5

On November 5, thousands of activists gathered in Novi Sad for a protest. Opposition, activists, and human rights groups accuse the authorities of corruption and demand resignation. Protesters, holding placards saying 'Blood on your hands' and 'Corruption kills', chanted 'Arrest Vucic' while marching.

In Novi Sad, a group of activists, citizens, and local opposition deputies tried to forcibly enter the city council building when the issue of the mayor's resignation was being discussed.