Serbia's second-largest city, Novi Sad, hadn't seen the likes of this since the major protests of the 1990s that led to the fall of ex-dictator Slobodan Milosevic in 2000. On Saturday, February 1, tens of thousands of students took to the streets of this reputedly rebellious city, 80 kilometers from Belgrade, to denounce "corruption" and demand "justice," three months after the collapse of the awning of the local train station.

Occurring on November 1, 2024, this tragedy, which claimed 15 lives, triggered anger that remains strong in the country, despite the resignation of the prime minister, Milos Vucevic, announced on January 28. "[President Aleksandar] Vucic is trying to cover up what happened, but a lot of people are waking up," asserted Stasa Janbric, a 24-year-old engineering student, who blames the accident on the strongman of this Balkan country of 6.6 million inhabitants.

Brandishing red-painted hands, the students, supported by thousands of Serbs of all ages, lashed out at their president, a 54-year-old nationalist who has ruled their country for over 10 years, allowing corruption, mafia and nepotism to proliferate. Together, they blocked the city's three bridges across the Danube for three hours, before thousands of young people spent the night on one of them in an atmosphere of anger mixed with moving displays of fraternity.

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