Tens of thousands of people gathered at Slavija Square and the surrounding streets in downtown Belgrade, in student-initiated protests.
The protest began at 4:00 p.m., with demonstrators lighting flashlights on their mobile phones. The square itself was completely filled with demonstrators, as were Nemanjina, Beogradska, Kralja Milana, and the streets leading from the Temple of Saint Sava to Slavija.
Students and citizens continue to arrive in columns from all directions at Slavija Square, with some citizens standing at the Yugoslav Drama Theater because they cannot get any closer.
Among other signs seen at the protests are banners reading “General Strike, Students and Workers in Solidarity,” “Who Protects Those Who Cannot Speak,” and “The State is the Property of Children,” in response to the recent statement by Serbian Progressive Party official Vladimir Đukanović that “children are the property of the state.”
The students were also joined in the protests by farmers.
Fifteen minutes of silence for the 15 victims of the collapse of the canopy at the Novi Sad Railway Station began at 4:30 p.m., after which the protest continued with noise.
In Niš, the protest also began at 4:00 p.m., with a 16-minute silence in honor of the victims in Novi Sad and Zagreb.
A large number of citizens, students and pupils of Niš responded to the call of an informal group of students and gathered at the roundabout on Nemanjića Boulevard, near the “Delta Planet” Shopping Center.
At the roundabout, students spread the banner “Protest is an exam” and a large number of small banners saying that they will not return to classes until their demands are met.
Students carry banners with red palm prints, red gloves and whistles. A large banner with a red fist is also hung at the entrance to the Niš Fortress.
Let us remind you that students in Serbia have been protesting for weeks. Among other things, they demand accountability from the authorities, relevant ministers and institutions for the collapse of the canopy at the Novi Sad Railway Station, which killed 15 people.
High school students have recently joined them in the protests.
