With the message “One Step to Justice,” students blocking Belgrade universities have set out on foot for a protest march to Novi Sad.

After covering a distance of more than seventy kilometers, they will join Novi Sad students on February 1 in the blockade of three bridges in the city.

The bridge blockades will mark three months since the collapse of the newly renovated Novi Sad Railway Station canopy, which resulted in 15 deaths and left two people seriously injured.

This tragedy triggered a wave of mass protests across Serbia, bringing tens of thousands of people onto the streets.

For the past two months, students have led these protests, blocking dozens of public universities with their main demand being the establishment of criminal and political accountability for the Novi Sad disaster.

The starting point for the marching Belgrade students was the Faculty of Dramatic Arts (FDU). The march will conclude in front of the Novi Sad Railway Station.

As the students walk, citizens cheer them on from their windows, and they are followed by a long line of cars. Some supporters are riding bicycles alongside them.

Those committed to walking all the way to Novi Sad carry backpacks and sleeping gear.

Dozens of student stewards are present to ensure order during the march.

The police are regulating traffic and following the march, accompanied by ambulances and fire trucks.

Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dačić previously announced that the police would fully secure the protest route.

“Traffic along the route will be halted and redirected. Traffic police and public order officers will be deployed in front of and behind the marchers, along with emergency medical teams and a water tanker,” said Dačić.

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The Faculty of Dramatic Arts (FDU) was the first institution that students blocked on November 26, in response to an attack on students and professors in front of the faculty during a vigil for the victims of the Novi Sad tragedy.

Beyond punishing the perpetrators of attacks on students and professors during protests, the students have presented three additional demands to the authorities:

  1. Full disclosure of all documentation related to the renovation of the Novi Sad Railway Station.
  2. Dropping criminal charges against demonstrators who were arrested during the protests.
  3. Increased funding for higher education.

The government, led by President Aleksandar Vučić, claims that all student demands have already been met.

However, students in the blockade have responded that Vučić is not the relevant authority to fulfill their demands and that they will continue protesting.

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Source: RSE, Foto: Nova.rs

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