NOVI SAD, Serbia (AP) — Tens of thousands of people from all over Serbia gathered on Saturday in the northern town of Novi Sad to commemorate the victims of a railway station disaster a year ago. The rally was also a massive display of boiling discontent with the government of autocratic President Aleksandar Vucic.
The collapse of a concrete canopy at the Novi Sad train station last Nov. 1 killed 16 people. The tragedy triggered youth-led street protests and a nationwide movement demanding political changes that have seriously shaken Vucic’s tight hold on power.
The protesters believe that the concrete construction at the renovated station building in Novi Sad collapsed because rampant corruption and nepotism in state infrastructure projects with China led to fatal disregard of safety rules. No one has been held responsible though 13 people have been charged.
Saturday’s ceremonies started with 16 minutes of silence for the 16 victims at exactly 11.:52 a.m., the time of the collapse. People also laid wreaths and lit candles outside the station.
“We are here to pay our respects and express our sorrow,” Vera Jaramazovic, who came from the northern town of Subotica, said. “This society is suffering, suffering hard.”
Vucic has cracked down on the protesters in recent months, with police detaining hundreds of people and using tear gas and batons to disperse rallies. The huge turnout on Saturday suggested that protesters’ resolve remains strong.
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On the eve of the commemoration, Vucic apologized to the student protesters after previously threatening mass arrests and routinely branding them as “terrorists” instructed from the West to topple him and destroy Serbia.
“I have said some things that I am now sorry for saying,” Vucic said in a TV address that called for dialogue. “All that hatred boiling in our society cannot bring any good. It can only lead to further destruction.”
Student protesters dismissed the apology. They are demanding an early parliamentary election that they hope would oust the populist government.
While Vucic toned down his rhetoric, authorities canceled train service to Novi Sad, preventing some protesters from travel. Others streamed into Novi Sad in cars, on bikes or on foot.
Vucic on Saturday attended a church service in Belgrade for the victims while Serbia’s government hastily declared a day of mourning.
Serbia is seeking European Union entry but the accession process has stalled as Vucic nurtured close relations with Russia and China while also clamping down on democratic freedoms to achieve full control.
The EU’s Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said on X that the canopy tragedy “is changing Serbia.”
“It moved masses to stand for accountability, free expression and inclusive democracy, ” Kos said. “They are the same values to lead Serbia into the EU.”
On Friday evening, massive crowds lined up the streets of Novi Sad to welcome thousands of mainly young people who trekked Serbia for the past two weeks ahead of the rally. Many people cried as they hugged the students upon arrival, some of whom had walked for 400 kilometers (240 miles) before reaching the city.
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Associated Press writers Jovana Gec and Dusan Stojanovic in Belgrade, Serbia contributed to this report.
