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- [00:58]
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This is the Novi Sad railway station in Serbia, built in 1964. After a recent renovation, it was officially reopened in July 2024. Just a few months later, on November 1, 2024, at 11:52am, a concrete canopy weighing over 300 tons collapsed, killing a total of 16 people. Following the renovation, the station building had neither an occupancy permit nor nor a completed technical inspection. The initial estimate for the works was 3 million euros. In the end, the cost rose to 16 million. The station was renovated as part of the construction of the high speed railway from Belgrade to the Hungarian border, a project of national importance carried out under the Serbia China Agreement. In Serbia, such deals are commonly made behind closed doors. In the aftermath of the tragedy, the investor, Chinese partners, Serbian Railways and President Aleksandr Vucic all stated that the collapsed canopy had not been part of the reconstruction. It would later emerge that each of these claims was false. Modifications to the canopy had in fact been carried out in the first days following the collapse. Those responsible were largely neither detained nor held in custody, with most released pending trial or allowed to remain under house arrest. Fifteen days after the tragedy, tributes to the victims begin across Serbia. Held Every Friday at 11:52am 22 days after the collapse, students were assaulted by officials and members of the ruling party while while paying tribute in front of a university building in Belgrade. The protests swell in size in the days that follow. Students initiate blockades at the more than 60 universities and colleges across the country. To the public, this marks a completely unexpected response from a student population long seen as apathetic and disengaged politics. The students advocate for the rule of law, the fight against corruption, strong institutions and respect for the legal system. They demand accountability. They distance themselves from political parties and refuse to meet with the president, stating that their demands do not fall under his constitutional authority, but under the jurisdiction of other institutions. They receive support from the public in Serbia, as well as from students in neighboring countries of the former Yugoslavia. Decision making within the movement is based on the principles of direct democracy. Resolutions are adopted at general assemblies by a majority vote of those present. Every voice can be heard. Every proposal can be put to a vote. As they occupy their university buildings, students put forward an initial set of four demands. First, they call for the full release of all documentation related to the reconstruction of the Novi Sad railway station, records that are currently unavailable to the public. Second, they demand that the relevant authorities confirm the identities of those suspected of physically assaulting students and professors, and that criminal proceedings be launched against them, along with their dismissal. If they hold public office. Third, they call for all charges against arrested or detained students to be dropped and for all ongoing criminal proceedings against them to be halted. Fourth, they demand a 20% increase in the budget for public universities.
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Well, corruption in this society, in our country, is so deep it reach all the way down to dinosaurs. How could you translate Kunpay in English? Keep adding the positive energy. Don't stop and don't lower the tension.
- [06:40]
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The science. Students organize gatherings in multiple cities across Serbia, reaching them through multi day protest marches, which as many have said, in some ways sent a pulse through the country. President Vucic has ruled Serbia for 13 years. While the country is formally on the path toward European integration, Vucic continues to cultivate ties with both Moscow and Beijing. His rule is described by the Serbian opposition as increasingly autocratic. Serbia remains one of the few countries that has not imposed sanctions on Russia, even as negotiations over the status of Kosovo continue under close international supervision. Meanwhile, Serbian ammunition is being sent to both Ukraine and Israel. The European Commission has included the lithium mining project in Serbia, led by the company Rio Tinto, among the projects of strategic importance for the European Union. There is a growing sense that Vucic enjoys the backing of all major world powers who, preoccupied with their own crises, pay little more than lip service to concerns over Serbia's internal political situation. At the end of November 2024, during a commemoration for the victims of the Novisad tragedy, an Indian incident occurred in the town of Pozarevac. In late January after four young men emerged from the offices of Vucic's party in Novi Sad and fractured a female student's jaw in three places using baseball bats. Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vuccevic submitted his resignation just over three months later. President Vucic referred to those same party members as heroes and later pardoned them. Vuti and members of his ruling party labeled the protesters as foreign paid agents, accusing them of working on behalf of outside powers to overthrow both the government and and the state. In their pursuit of justice, the students visited European institutions, cycling for 13 days to Strasbourg and then running a relay ultra Marathon for 18 days to Brussels. On March 15, the largest gathering in Serbia's history took place in Belgrade, with some 300,000 people responding to a call from the student movement. During the event, some form of sonic weapon was reportedly used, a claim supported by testimonies from over 3,000 citizens. The government denied all such allegations, dismissing the public's reaction as staged and orchestrated. Niko Nygda. Just a day after this statement, a photograph surfaced showing a police vehicle equipped with an LRAD 450XL acoustic device in front of the Serbian Parliament during the protest. The Minister of Internal affairs then offered an explanation. This is a test of the long range acoustic device. As their original demands remain unmet after six months of protest, on May 5, the students issue a new demand. Early elections in Serbia. They state they will not run as candidates themselves, but will vote on a candidate list through their General Assemblies. Meanwhile, repression against dissent in Serbia is intensifying. There are political arrests and persecutions, widespread surveillance, raids on civil society organizations, and the expulsion of foreign nationals.