Key motorway in Serbian capital blocked during student-led protest over train station crash
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Thousands of people blocked traffic on Friday at a key motorway intersection in Serbia's capital during ongoing student-led street protests over the collapse of a concrete canopy that killed 15 people last November. Chanting “we want justice," the crowd first gathered outside the central court house in Belgrade to urge punishment for who they described as pro-government thugs who have attacked protesters at an earlier gathering.
Protesters have staged almost daily street demonstrations to demand accountability over the Nov. 1 crash at a railway station building in the northern city of Novi Sad. Fourteen people were killed and three others were severely injured after tons of concrete crashed without warning. One more person later died while in hospital.
Many in Serbia believe the huge canopy collapsed because of sloppy reconstruction work that resulted from corruption. The Novi Sad railway station building was renovated twice in recent years in a deal with Chinese state companies. The protests have posed a challenge for populist President Aleksandar Vucic. Classes at universities in Serbia have been suspended for weeks with students camping inside their faculties.
Friday's blockade, which lasted for one hour, also stopped traffic across a key bridge over the Sava river. Serbia's prosecutors have filed charges against 13 people over the train station canopy collapse, including a government minister and several state officials. But doubts prevail over the probe's independence under the populist authorities.
