In the online edition of the newspaper \u201cDer Freitag,\u201d a lengthy article was published under the title \u201c\u2018That was not an accident. That was murder\u2019: A mother fights against Vu\u010di\u0107\u2019s system.\u201d Other German media outlets also wrote about the two gatherings at the same location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The scene in front of the Parliament in Belgrade is described in detail by the author of the article on Der Freitag\u2019s website, Krsto Lazarevi\u0107:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFifty 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 \u2014 and she does not eat. A white T-shirt peeks out from underneath. In black letters, it reads: \u2018Mom against the machinery.\u2019 Dijana Hrka (47) has decided not to eat anymore \u2014 until someone is held responsible for her son\u2019s death. She says: \u2018I am ready to go all the way.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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. \u2018I waited for him to return by train,\u2019 says his mother. \u2018But he didn\u2019t come.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As reported by Deutsche Welle, after the descriptive introduction follow explanations for German readers. The author describes \u201ca place that is difficult to describe\u201d \u2013 \u0106acilend \u2013 \u201cwhose very existence says a lot about the nature of authoritarian rule in Serbia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What \u0106acilend looks like<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe most violence comes from those thug groups of the ruling party, while the police often stand by silently. For President Aleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107 and his system, that division of roles is convenient: thanks to the party\u2019s thugs, the conflict can be presented as a clash between rival protest groups \u2014 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 \u2014 and that is the majority of media in Serbia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The text then explains the reasons cited by Dijana Hrka for beginning her hunger strike: \u201cI want to finally know who killed my child and 15 other people. That was not an accident. That was murder.\u201d The article reflects on the commemorative gathering in Novi Sad, which, as noted, with about 110,000 participants, was the largest in the city\u2019s history. It mentions the well-known tricks faced by participants \u2014 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 Vu\u010di\u0107 made about the gathering, downplaying the number of participants and presenting figures the author calls \u201cbarely plausible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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 \u0110aji\u0107, who reiterates what he has said many times \u2014 that the flaws he pointed out during reconstruction were the result of corruption and Vu\u010di\u0107\u2019s insistence on opening the station as quickly as possible. \u201cIt is an accusation against Vu\u010di\u0107\u2019s system, in which loyalty to the party is worth more than qualifications \u2014 and bought diplomas are not uncommon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The article then describes the moment Dijana Hrka announced her hunger strike and began it the next day in front of the Parliament. \u201cOn the other side \u2014 in \u0106acilend \u2014 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.\u201d The text then describes the arrests of people supporting Dijana Hrka on charges of \u201cinciting the violent overthrow of the constitutional order.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the end of the article, the author states: \u201cDijana Hrka represents the protest movement that has swept across the entire country \u2014 sparked by the death of her son Stefan, who died under a cascade of concrete at the newly reopened railway station in Serbia\u2019s second-largest city.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The text ends with Dijana Hrka\u2019s words: \u201cNo one will bring my son back. But I don\u2019t want another mother in Serbia to have to bury her child like that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beogradu su ispred Narodne skup\u0161tine Republike Srbije odr\u017eana dva skupa – na jednom su se okupili oni koji podr\u017eavaju Dijanu Hrku, a na drugom pristalice Srpske napredne stranke. pic.twitter.com\/aRC8csTTSr<\/a><\/p>— DW Balkan BHS (@dw_balkan) November 6, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote>\n