Thousands of protesters marched through Belgrade on Saturday, marking the one-year anniversary of an attack on students and continuing demands for accountability over the collapse of a railway station roof in Novi Sad that killed 16 people on November 1, 2024.
The peaceful demonstration, led by university students, highlighted grievances stemming from the station disaster, which protesters attribute to corruption and negligence in infrastructure projects.
Participants also sought justice for a violent assault last year on drama students by supporters of President Aleksandar Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).
Demonstrators called for full criminal responsibility for all individuals involved in the attack on students, where more than 30 SNS loyalists clashed with protesters blocking an intersection.
Only four people have been sentenced following plea bargains.
The crowd stopped outside Belgrade's main court building and later passed the public broadcaster RTS, accused of pro-government bias, while demanding snap parliamentary elections to end Vucic's 13-year dominance.
The Novi Sad tragedy sparked a nationwide student-led movement featuring faculty blockades and near-daily rallies that have drawn tens of thousands.
Previous large demonstrations were met with police using tear gas and stun grenades, prompting accusations of excessive force.
President Vucic has refused early elections and authorities have detained hundreds while some supporters of the protests lost jobs.
The protests continue in Serbia, an EU candidate country where accession talks have stalled amid concerns over democratic backsliding and ties to Russia and China.