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Serbia Braces for Dual Rallies as Student Protests Challenge Vucic's Leadership

Student-led demonstrations against corruption and government accountability coincide with a pro-Vucic rally, highlighting deep divisions on Serbia's Statehood Day.

Students protest in front of the state-owned and operated radio station Radio Belgrade headquarters, over the fatal November 2024 Novi Sad railway station roof collapse, in Belgrade, Serbia, February 13, 2025. REUTERS/Kuba Stezycki
Students march trough the fields near the village of Cumic near the Serbian industrial town of Kragujevac, to protest the deaths of 15 people killed in the November collapse of a train station canopy, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Overview

  • Student protests began after a fatal railway station canopy collapse in Novi Sad, which killed 15 people and is widely attributed to government corruption.
  • The movement has expanded into Serbia's largest protests in decades, with students organizing blockades, rallies, and daily assemblies to demand accountability.
  • President Aleksandar Vucic has accused the movement of foreign interference while organizing a pro-government rally to counter the students' gathering in Kragujevac.
  • The protests have already led to the resignation of Serbia's prime minister and other officials, but students insist on further reforms and justice for the victims.
  • The student movement's decentralized and democratic structure has made it resilient to government infiltration and a significant challenge to Vucic's decade-long rule.