Due to the tragic death of 14 people at the Novi Sad Railway Station, a protest is being held in front of the Serbian Government building in Belgrade. The protest began with the reading of the names of the victims and a moment of silence.
Organizers and gathered citizens are demanding the resignations of Serbian Prime Minister Miloš Vučević and Novi Sad Mayor Milan Đurić. In addition to political responsibility, the Serbian public is also demanding criminal charges against all those who are in any way – by action or inaction – guilty for the collapse of the canopy and the resulting tragedy.
At the beginning of the protest, host Smiljan Banjac reminded everyone of what happened. “They didn’t travel away; they disappeared in a second under the wreckage, concrete, and dust of that ominous canopy. It could have been any of you,” he said.
He then read out the names of the victims, followed by a moment of silence.
Komar Nemanja (2007) from Stepanovićevo
Ruman Andela (2004) from Stara Pazova
Firić Đorđe (1971) from Kovilj
Firić Valentina (2014) from Kovilj Firić Sara (2018) from Kovilj
Adamović Milica (2008) from Kaća
Karanović Mileva (1948) from Kaća
Arbutina Ćirić Sanja (1989) from Kaća
Hrka Stefan (1997) from Belgrade
Milosavljević Miloš (2003) from Knićanin
Švonja Đuro (1947) from Stepanovićevo
Raković Vukašin (1955) from Bukovca
Sazdovski Vasko (1979) from North Macedonia
Raca Goranka (1966) from Novi Sad
“Eleven days have passed since the tragedy, the murders, and no one has been arrested or prosecuted. Only about ten people have been allegedly questioned. We even have to doubt that because we know who we’re dealing with. And we don’t know who is leading the investigation in Novi Sad or how. Silence from the prosecution. They removed the evidence and allegedly put it in a safe place. In eleven days, they haven’t determined the chain of responsibility. That’s why they’re efficient when it comes to arresting and intimidating those who demand accountability for the murder of 14 people. That’s why we’re asking from here why Ivan Bjelić is not free, why Goran Ješić, who was arrested for defending a young man from being arrested by unknown persons in hoods, was released and then taken back to prison. Who kidnapped student Milu Pajić and Doroteja Antić and, took them away in a car without license plates and deprived them of their liberty illegally. We also remind you of Miša Bačulov, who is in custody; Miran Pogačar, who has been arrested several times; Relja Stanojević, a student at the Novi Sad Academy of Arts; and so on,” Banjac said at the beginning of the protest.
Lawyer Jovan Rajić said they were there to seek justice for the victims who were killed, as he claims, by corruption and irresponsibility.
“It wasn’t an accident; fate didn’t take them away by chance; they were murdered. They were killed by corruption, crime, unpublished contracts, someone’s negligence, and greed. That’s why we’re all here, to demand accountability and justice. This people is hungry for justice,” he said.
Ana Ferik Ivanovič, an architect from Novi Sad, then addressed the gathering, stating that they were seeking answers but only receiving excuses.
“We thought that someone was supervising those works, carrying them out professionally and according to the project, that they knew what they were doing because it’s a railway station where thousands of people pass through daily. We knew that it was a large infrastructure project of great importance that no one dared to ask any questions about,” she said. She added that they are now sure that there were mistakes, “that they often rushed and turned a blind eye, and that 14 people lost their lives because of that.”
As she said, the opinion of the profession has been devalued for years, and it has been excluded from making important decisions, and the authorities only call on it when major tragedies occur, like the one in Novi Sad. She added that everything boiled down to kilometers and money and that professional ethics had been lost.
Former Mayor of Novi Sad Borislav Novaković, on behalf of the parliamentary opposition, addressed the gathering and said that nothing was good today or in the days that had passed. He said that the people of Novi Sad felt the support of all citizens of Serbia. He added: “We are outraged.”
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Source: N1
Photo: 192.rs