Hundreds of thousands of people flooded the streets of Belgrade on Saturday, March 15, in one of the largest protests of its kind in Serbia. While authorities reported about 107,000 participants, independent surveys estimated around 325,000, and organizers on the ground claimed at least 500,000. The demonstration marked the culmination of student mobilizations demanding justice for the victims of the Novi Sad train station canopy collapse, which claimed 15 lives.
Students, farmers, and workers from across Serbia traveled to Belgrade to participate in the protest. Marching, they reiterated demands for accountability and due process for officials involved in the renovation of the collapsed railway station. Saturday’s protest was the latest in a series of nationwide mobilizations, which, as of the beginning of March, had taken place in over 400 localities.
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Student groups accused authorities of deliberately obstructing people’s ability to reach the capital, noting that railway connections and bus lines operated by private contractors were canceled in an apparent attempt to repress participation. Local progressive groups claimed that dozens of protesters were suffering symptoms linked to the use of long-range acoustic devices, including nausea, dizziness, and panic, raising concerns that authorities had deployed crowd control technology despite official denials.
Medical student collectives denounced that some students were denied care after the protest: “They [the injured protesters] were told they could not be examined if they reported experiencing the aforementioned symptoms, which they suffered during the protests,” the students wrote. “We consider the denial of medical assistance an unacceptable violation of the ethical principles we are taught, and we strongly condemn any individual who refused to provide care to a patient for any reason.”
The demonstration saw confirmed incidents of vehicles ramming into groups heading for the protest and was followed by new arrests of activists, further raising concerns about protest suppression.
Since the beginning of the student campaign, a wave of mobilization has spread throughout the country. Public assemblies and hearings are being held across Serbia – including in regions neglected by authorities – strengthening grassroots organizing and encouraging a renewed sense of hope for direct participation in political life.
President Aleksandar Vučić continues to insist that protesters’ demands have already been met, but student groups reject this claim and have vowed to continue campus occupations and demonstrations until their calls are heeded.
