Most Slobode - 24h Studentska blokada - Novi Sad - Freedom Bridge - 24h Student Blockade, Serbia

Freedom Bridge - 24 hours Student Blockade - Novi Sad, Serbia
2024–2025 Serbian anti-corruption protests
In November 2024, a series of mass protests began in Novi Sad following the railway station canopy collapse in the city, which left 15 people dead and two severely injured. As of 2 February 2025, the protests have spread to 200 cities and towns in Serbia[15] and are ongoing. The protest are being lead by the university students who demand accountability for the canopy collapse. Blockades of educational facilities initially started on 22 November at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts after students were attacked during a silent tribute to the victims of the 1 November incident. After the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, other faculties and high schools soon followed. In addition to other demonstrations, protesters held the weekly "Stop, Serbia" (Serbian: Застани, Србијо, Zastani, Srbijo) traffic blockades, conducted from 11:52 AM, the time when the canopy collapsed in Novi Sad, to 12:07 PM, in order to symbolically mark the 15 lives lost in the disaster.
Background : On 1 November 2024, the canopy of the Novi Sad railway station collapsed, killing 15 people and leaving two others with non-critical injuries. The collapse led to widespread public concern in Serbia, with many questioning the structural integrity and maintenance oversight of public infrastructure. Authorities launched an investigation into the causes of the incident, but public frustration grew due to lack of accountability in the response. Early protests primarily took the form of quiet vigils for victims of the collapse. However, these protests began to morph into larger and angrier demonstrations, with demonstrators accusing police and local authorities of negligence and corruption. Protesters began demanding a transparent investigation into the collapse, and the release of documents related to the incident. The Associated Press suggested that the collapse has also served as a flash point for expressions of dissatisfaction with the Serbian government as a whole. Some demonstrations escalated into acts of vandalism, with the Novi Sad City Hall being a primary target. Red paint was thrown on the city hall entrance and attempts were made to breach the building. Law enforcement responded with tear gas and arrests, further inflaming tensions. Protesters suggested that these and other violent demonstrations were the result of government plants seeking to derail the protests. On 22 November, students and professors of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts gathered in the immediate vicinity of the Faculty to pay homage to the fatalities in Novi Sad. The meeting was announced to the authorities in accordance with the law. At the gathering both the students and the professors were attacked by an organized group. Some members of the group were allegedly high-ranking officials of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). After the attack on 25 November, the students began an occupation of the faculty in protest. The Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad, joined by the Faculty of Philosophy, the Faculty of Philology, the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and the Faculty of Political Sciences in Belgrade, followed shortly after. One of the November demonstrations in Novi Sad drew 20,000 protesters, making it the largest protest in the city in decades. Demonstrators held weekly 15-minute traffic blockade protests on Fridays at 11:52 AM, the time of the collapse. Cars, some of whose occupants are allegedly affiliated with the SNS, struck protesters during these blockades. On 1 February, on the Day of the City and the three-month anniversary of the canopy collapse, there have been huge crowds at the entrance to Novi Sad – columns of cars have been waiting for hours at the toll gates to join the protests and blockade. A long line of several hundred bikers was seen at the entrance to Novi Sad, and many farmers have also joined the protest with their tractors. Around 3 PM, students have blocked all three bridges in Novi Sad. Tens of thousands of citizens gathered and the protest started with 15 minutes of silence. Two of the bridges were blocked for three hours, while Liberty Bridge was blocked for 24 hours, with a possibility of extension depending on the results of the plenum in which the citizens on the bridge will vote.

Видео Most Slobode - 24h Studentska blokada - Novi Sad - Freedom Bridge - 24h Student Blockade, Serbia канала Kreator