We believe that the end of this corrupt regime is near, said participants in a protest in front of the headquarters of the Serbian public broadcaster RTS in Belgrade on Friday evening. The crowd gathered in response to the appeal of students who have been protesting for weeks and blocking 60 university faculties across the country.
Students took the initiative to organize demonstrations sparked by the tragedy in Novi Sad. November 1, 2024 in the one located in the north Serbia In the city, part of the roof of the railway station collapsed, killing 15 people.
The name of the protest “Our right to know everything” is an allusion to the RTS slogan “Your right to know everything”. The initiators of the demonstration read a list of demands, including the requirement to identify and punish all those who attacked participants of previous gatherings.
– Soon it will be three months since the accident, and as you can see, the protests are not weakening, even despite the winter. People are fed up and want change, said one of the demonstration participants. – We are here today to fight the media darkness in our country, but this is only one of the problems we are against – emphasized another protester.
“RTS employees are with students”
The protest, which lasted over an hour, was accompanied by constant whistles, shouts and hits on various objects brought by the participants. The noise stopped only for 15 minutes, during which the victims of the tragedy in Novi Sad were commemorated. The slogans chanted included calls for a general strike, accusations of corruption and insults directed at the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic.
During the demonstration, a banner “RTS employees are with students” was unfurled from the public television headquarters. The crowd responded with loud thanks. Although the vast majority of the protest was young people, representatives of older generations also took part.
In turn, the protesters brought a several-meter-long model of a sandwich for RTS director Dragan Bujošević, which refers to the refreshments that activists of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) hand out to their supporters on the occasion of political events.
Tragic accident after the renovation of the station
The tragic incident occurred a few months after the grand opening of the facility following a three-year renovation. The prosecutor's office in Novi Sad brought charges against 13 people, including former Minister of Construction Goran Vesic. The politician resigned a few days after the accident.
Serbian authorities claim that all protesters' demands have been met. In response to the political and social crisis, President Vucic announced the organization of an advisory referendum on his dismissal. He stressed that if his resignation was voted on, he would adapt to the will of the majority.
Main photo source: Enex