In the online edition of the newspaper “Der Freitag,” a lengthy article was published under the title “‘That was not an accident. That was murder’: A mother fights against Vučić’s system.” Other German media outlets also wrote about the two gatherings at the same location.
The scene in front of the Parliament in Belgrade is described in detail by the author of the article on Der Freitag’s website, Krsto Lazarević:
“Fifty meters from the entrance to the Serbian Parliament sits a woman under a white tent. The wind shakes the tarp, and a candle flickers in front of her. She wears a pink tracksuit — and she does not eat. A white T-shirt peeks out from underneath. In black letters, it reads: ‘Mom against the machinery.’ Dijana Hrka (47) has decided not to eat anymore — until someone is held responsible for her son’s death. She says: ‘I am ready to go all the way.’
In her hand, she holds a frame with an Orthodox icon: the Virgin Mary with Christ, and in the lower right corner, a photo of her son Stefan. A year ago, Stefan Hrka died when a canopy collapsed at a station in Novi Sad. Fourteen people were killed instantly, two more died later in the hospital. ‘I waited for him to return by train,’ says his mother. ‘But he didn’t come.’”
As reported by Deutsche Welle, after the descriptive introduction follow explanations for German readers. The author describes “a place that is difficult to describe” – Ćacilend – “whose very existence says a lot about the nature of authoritarian rule in Serbia.”
What Ćacilend looks like
“The most violence comes from those thug groups of the ruling party, while the police often stand by silently. For President Aleksandar Vučić and his system, that division of roles is convenient: thanks to the party’s thugs, the conflict can be presented as a clash between rival protest groups — thus avoiding images of police beating peaceful demonstrators. At the same time, the illegal camp of his supporters serves as a backdrop for showing on media he controls — and that is the majority of media in Serbia.”
The text then explains the reasons cited by Dijana Hrka for beginning her hunger strike: “I want to finally know who killed my child and 15 other people. That was not an accident. That was murder.” The article reflects on the commemorative gathering in Novi Sad, which, as noted, with about 110,000 participants, was the largest in the city’s history. It mentions the well-known tricks faced by participants — sudden roadworks on access routes to the city and suspension of train traffic, as well as protesters sleeping outdoors because the ruling party authorities did not allow them to stay overnight in sports halls. The author also lists the belittling statements President Vučić made about the gathering, downplaying the number of participants and presenting figures the author calls “barely plausible.”
The article continues with an analysis of the connection between widespread corruption and the collapse of the Novi Sad canopy. The story introduces engineer Zoran Đajić, who reiterates what he has said many times — that the flaws he pointed out during reconstruction were the result of corruption and Vučić’s insistence on opening the station as quickly as possible. “It is an accusation against Vučić’s system, in which loyalty to the party is worth more than qualifications — and bought diplomas are not uncommon.”
The article then describes the moment Dijana Hrka announced her hunger strike and began it the next day in front of the Parliament. “On the other side — in Ćacilend — the camp quickly fills with burly thugs. The police are present, but they do not decide who can enter and who cannot. They receive orders from informal thug groups.” The text then describes the arrests of people supporting Dijana Hrka on charges of “inciting the violent overthrow of the constitutional order.”
At the end of the article, the author states: “Dijana Hrka represents the protest movement that has swept across the entire country — sparked by the death of her son Stefan, who died under a cascade of concrete at the newly reopened railway station in Serbia’s second-largest city.”
The text ends with Dijana Hrka’s words: “No one will bring my son back. But I don’t want another mother in Serbia to have to bury her child like that.”
Beogradu su ispred Narodne skupštine Republike Srbije održana dva skupa – na jednom su se okupili oni koji podržavaju Dijanu Hrku, a na drugom pristalice Srpske napredne stranke. pic.twitter.com/aRC8csTTSr
— DW Balkan BHS (@dw_balkan) November 6, 2025
Two gatherings in Belgrade
Agency reports on events in Belgrade were also published on the websites of several leading German media outlets. Deutschlandfunk and NTV both carried the same AFP agency report. It describes the appearance of thousands of supporters and opponents of Aleksandar Vučić’s regime at the same location in downtown Belgrade. It is noted that Vučić’s supporters included Serbs from Kosovo: “We traveled a long way to support our president and our country. President Vučić has always supported us; we wanted to show that we stand for peace and unity,” AFP quoted Žarko Milovanović as saying.
The text cites official police data claiming that 50,000 people were at the rally supporting Aleksandar Vučić, brought in by buses, while the number of citizens supporting Dijana Hrka was estimated at 3,000, noting that “police figures have always been below independent estimates.”
The weekly Stern, which also published the same report on its website, added a disclaimer: “The AFP agency has not yet been able to independently verify these figures.” Stern also added that ministers and senior government officials participated in the pro-regime demonstrations and that this rally followed the mass commemoration of the anniversary of the Novi Sad canopy collapse, where people gathered believing that “corruption in the country was to blame for the collapse.”
AFP writes, and German media report, that there was a heavy police presence in front of the Belgrade Parliament and that demonstrators supporting the government were transported in rented buses.
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Source: N1, Foto: Antonio Ahel / ATAImages