NOVI SAD, Serbia -- Thousands of student protesters and others marked three months since the fatal November 1 collapse of a concrete roof at a rail station in Novi Sad, blocking three bridges in Serbia’s second-largest city as pressure mounted on President Aleksandar Vucic’s government.
The action -- labeled "Three Months, Three Bridges" -- on February 1 caused a kilometer-long line of cars attempting to enter the city as students from Novi Sad University and their supporters announced a 24-hour blockade on the city’s Freedom Bridge, due to last until 3 p.m. on February 2.
Hundreds of the participating students had arrived after a two-day protest march of some 80 kilometers from Belgrade to Novi Sad. The demonstrations come amid months of anti-government protests following the deadly infrastructure collapse in Novi Sad that killed 15 people.
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Protesters Block Bridges In Serbia's Novi Sad
Protesters have demanded accountability for those responsible for the roof collapse -- which many blame on government corruption and incompetence.
Serbian farmers on tractors joined students on the main thoroughfares of the capital, Belgrade, on January 27 for a similar 24-hour protest blockade against Vucic’s handling of the aftermath of a deadly railway station disaster.
Although rallies initially focused on the Novi Sad tragedy, the mounting anger could also pose a longer-term threat to Vucic's government, which has attempted to maintain close ties to traditional ally Russia while also promoting the country's European Union membership hopes.
SEE ALSO: Analysis: Serbian PM Milos Vucevic's Resignation May Not Stop ProtestsOn January 28, Prime Minister Milos Vucevic resigned following weeks of mass protests demanding accountability for the deadly accident. Vucic said he accepted the resignation reluctantly because, he insisted, Vucevic “did nothing wrong.”
During the February 1 rally, thousands of people marched through Novi Sad – a city of some 380,000 people -- waving flags and signs as they occupied the three main bridges before converging on Freedom Bridge, the largest.
Farmers on tractors once again joined the rallies.
"I don't think anything like this has ever happened in Novi Sad before. And I am certain that Gen Z will bring change because I believe in all these young people," law student Nedeljka Mijanovic told AFP.
Local resident Slavica Nikolic told AP, “After long time, we can feel positive energy in the air, on the streets, among the people."
“When I talk to people, it feels like hope has woken up. We remember well some uglier times. This is finally some sort of new hope, that something good is going to happen in this country.”
SEE ALSO: At Serbian Protests, 'Generation Vucic' Finds Its VoiceStudent Vasilije Pantic told RFE/RL that "I have mixed emotions: People are here for the tragedy in which 15 people lost their lives. I feel said for them."
"But I'm also proud of myself and my colleagues for the journey that we've made here," referring to the march from the capital.