Protests begin in Serbia as thousands of citizens fill the streets in memory of the 16 victims in Novi Sad, calls grow for President Aleksandar Vučić to step down

Protests have resumed in Novi Sad to commemorate the 16 victims of the tragedy at the railway station and to demand early elections in Serbia.

The protest, led mainly by students, is challenging the rule of President Aleksandar Vučić.

It is recalled that the protests in Serbia began in 2024 after the tragedy in Novi Sad following the collapse of a canopy at the railway station.

Protesters, opposition parties and human rights organizations hold the government primarily responsible because, according to them, it is corrupt, has manipulated elections, restricted freedom of speech and encouraged organized crime. These are accusations that Vučić and his government have repeatedly denied.

The European Union has also repeatedly called on Serbia, as a candidate country, to guarantee free and fair elections and to make progress in the fight against corruption.

Students holding banners are chanting against the government, demanding free and fair elections.

On the other hand, it was announced earlier that although parliamentary elections are scheduled for 2027, President Vučić has left open the possibility that they could be held earlier. On June 27, he called for a rally for his supporters to gather under the Serbian flag.

Vučić told the media that it does not matter how many people come out to protest, saying the same things whether there are 500 people or thousands.

“Therefore, I am preparing to announce things for all the citizens of Serbia and to fight for them. I invite them to come. I think that, if there is anything, we have earned respect for the way we fought, for the fact that we showed patience, restraint, for the fact that we remained silent in the face of all the insults, lies, all that violence, and not only in Novi Sad and Valjevo, but everywhere, throughout Serbia, and for not retaliating in the same way. Wherever this would have happened, we would have condemned it and reacted completely differently from them, because with the help of the people we managed to preserve a normal and good Serbia,” Vučić said.