Regular anti-government protests have been taking place in Belgrade after part of the roof of the Novi Sad railway station collapsed in early November. During Friday's demonstration, a 67-year-old man drove his car into the crowd, injuring four people. The man was taken into custody.
“Stop, Serbio” protests have been taking place regularly in Belgrade for several weeks. Demonstrators block traffic for 15 minutes to honor the 15 victims of the tragedy in Novi Sad, which occurred in early November.
During Friday's demonstration, a 67-year-old man drove into the crowd. Four musicians of the Belgrade Philharmonic were injured and a blockade was organized in front of it.
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The man was charged with a crime of brutal behavior during a public meeting. “During the break from the dress rehearsal, some of the musicians decided, as a personal initiative, to pay tribute to the victims of the tragedy in Novi Sad. While the group was on a pedestrian crossing, they were hit,” the Philharmonic wrote in a statement. The injured were taken to hospital. The Philharmonic canceled the concert scheduled for Friday evening.
Protests after the station roof collapsed
Groups of citizens, activists, students and opposition representatives have been organizing a protest every Friday for weeks – the day when part of the roof of the Novi Sad railway station collapsed. As Reuters writes, protesters blame the government for contributing to this tragedy, claiming that it was caused by corruption and nepotism in power circles, which in turn resulted in the mediocrity of the building.
The Novi Sad railway station was officially opened in July after a three-year reconstruction. The Chinese consortium CRIC&CCCC (China Railway International Co. Ltd and China Communications Construction Company Ltd) was responsible for the renovation. The cause of the collapse of part of the roof is still being investigated by the prosecutor's office.
Main photo source: Reuters