In Serbia, students are ongoing large-scale protests (PHOTO)

This is reported by Euronews Srbija.

Student blockades and protests have been ongoing in several cities across Serbia. As part of the demonstration, students block an intersection for 15 minutes each day to honor the victims of the canopy collapse at the train station.

High school graduates are also joining the student blockades. All faculties of the University of Belgrade and the University of Novi Sad, as well as most faculties in Niš and Kragujevac, are currently blocked.

Students from the Belgrade Faculty of Law organized a protest near the building of the Prosecutor General's Office to deliver 1,000 letters to Chief Prosecutor Zagorka Dolovac, urging her to "do her job."

She instructed the students to form a delegation to speak with her. However, the organizers of the protest stated they were not ready for a meeting, to which the prosecutor's office responded by asking them to choose representatives and set a date.

The students also announced that they would protest in front of the Novi Sad city council. A meeting was supposed to take place there, but it has been postponed for the second time, reportedly due to a lack of quorum. Participants in the protest declared that they would not cancel their plans and would show up as promised.

What sparked the protests?

The protests in Serbia, which have been ongoing for weeks, were triggered by a tragedy at the train station in Novi Sad on November 1. A portion of the concrete canopy collapsed, killing 15 people.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić called for "strict punishment" for those responsible for the tragedy. However, the protesters blame the collapse on widespread corruption and the awarding of construction contracts to relatives of officials. They also demand that Vučić himself be held accountable.

The driving force behind the protests has been Serbian students, who are blocking faculty buildings. They have also received support from school students, teachers, educational unions, and media associations. The Serbian government decided to end the semester early in all primary and secondary schools due to "circumstances affecting the quality and preservation of the educational process, as well as the interests and rights of students to education".

Vučić himself stated that he is not concerned about these protests and initially accused the students of starting the protests for financial reasons.

He later claimed to have met their demands, including publishing documentation on the repair work at the station. He also announced state subsidies to help young people purchase housing. Some observers interpreted this as an attempt to "appease" the protesters.