Serbia’s ruling party resorts to giving protesters the middle finger
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Serbians were greeted by what appears to be government-sponsored banners giving protesters a bloody middle finger. Thousands of protesters have been gathering daily to protest the government since November when a concrete canopy collapsed and killed 15 people.
![[Thousands of protesters gather outside the RTS (Radio Television of Serbia) demanding accountability for the Novi Sad tragedy, a day after a young student protester was hit by a car and seriously wounded during a protest, in Belgrade on January 17, 2025. Thousands of Serbians took to the streets of the capital Belgrade in ongoing protests since a roof in a train station in the northern city of Novi Sad, collapsed on November 1, 2024, and killed 15 people. (Photo by Oliver Bunic / AFP) (Photo by OLIVER BUNIC/AFP via Getty Images)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_236951183-d1b4.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
A bloodstained hand giving the middle finger was printed on multiple banners across Belgrade, with text reading ‘The Serbian people’s response to colour revolution attempt’. The image has been widely shared on social media. Daily demonstrations have been held to demand accountability over the November 1 incident at a railway station building in the northern city of Novi Sad, where 15 died after tons of concrete crashed without warning.
Many 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 – but the banners appear to send a message from the government to the protesters.
Protesters had been using the phrase ‘your hands are bloody’ to slam authorities they believed to be responsible for the tragedy. Members of the ruling political party, headed by Serbian Prime Minister Miloš Vučević and founded by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, have shared similar messages on their social media to protesters.
Member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia Mila Popović said in a statement: ‘They sent a message to students, educators, professors, and all citizens seeking truth, justice, and accountability: there is no dialogue, only contempt and arrogance.
