LETTER FROM THE BALKANS

"It was like a plane or a huge truck was coming at you, but you had no idea where it was coming from or how to escape it," said Tibor Moldvai, who had been one of the 300,000 Serbs who took to the streets of Belgrade on Saturday, March 15 to protest against corruption. This demonstration marked the peak of the public fury that has been rocking this Balkan country since the collapse of the Novi Sad train station's concrete canopy on November 1, 2024.

"We were in the middle of 15 minutes of contemplation [for the 15 victims of the accident – a toll which rose to 16 on Friday, March 21, after the death of another victim] when, all of a sudden, a huge noise swept over us. It was terrifying," said Moldvai. He had been on one of the main thoroughfares of the capital's center. Like everyone else, he rushed to the sidewalks to escape.

The many videos on social media show a crowd suddenly splitting in two, as if to make way for an invisible vortex that lasted only a few seconds. "Slow down, slow down," some shouted, trying to avoid a potential stampede. The demonstrators crowding central Belgrade brandished their cell phones, capturing the peak of the day's protest.

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