Thousands Protest Vucic's Reign in Serbia

Tens of thousands streamed into a central square in Serbia's capital on Sunday for a rally against populist President Aleksandar Vucic and his government, whose tight grip on power has been challenged by weeks of street protests led by university students. The rally at Belgrade's Slavija Square, one of the largest in recent years, was called by students and farmers unions, the AP reports. It was part of a wider movement demanding accountability over the Nov. 1 collapse of a canopy at a railway station in the country's north that killed 15 people. The rally started with a 15-minute silence for the victims, and later, chants of "You have blood on your hands!" were heard.

Many in Serbia blame the collapse on widespread corruption and sloppy work on the railway station building in the city of Novi Sad that was twice renovated in recent years as part of questionable mega projects involving Chinese state companies. Protesters demand that Vucic and those responsible face justice. Serbia's popular theater and movie actors joined the protest, with actor Bane Trifunovic describing Sunday's rally as "a festival of freedom." A 22-year-old student protesting told the Guardian: "If you do something wrong, you should be punished for it. Yet no one has been properly held accountable." Vucic said he won't budge on demands for a transitional government and accused his opponents of using students to try to seize power. "We will beat them again," he said. "They don't know what to do but to use someone's children."

Prosecutors have arrested 13 people over the Novi Sad collapse, per the AP, including a government minister whose release fueled public skepticism about the investigation. Smaller rallies were also held Sunday in the cities of Nis and Kragujevac. The weekslong protests reflect wider discontent with Vucic's rule. The populist leader formally says he wants to take Serbia into the European Union but has faced accusations of curbing democratic freedoms. Because of the widening protests, the government has extended school winter holidays by starting them nearly a week earlier. Classes at universities throughout the Balkan country have been suspended for weeks with students camping inside faculty buildings. In recent days, more high school students have joined the movement.

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