Listen: One year after the Novi Sad collapse, Serbia’s protest movement intensifies

It has been a year since the concrete canopy at Novi Sad train station collapsed, killing 16 people and sparking one of Serbia’s largest youth-led protest movements in recent memory. What began as mourning has transformed into a sustained political awakening that is reshaping Serbia today.

Now, tensions between citizens demanding accountability and a government determined to hold its grip on power have reached a new, boiling point. But what does this movement show about the future of democracy in Serbia?

Production: By Europod, in co-production with Sphera Network.

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You can find the transcript here if you prefer reading:

It has been a year since the concrete canopy at Novi Sad train station collapsed, killing 16 people and sparking one of Serbia’s largest youth-led protest movements in recent memory. What began as mourning has transformed into a sustained political awakening that is reshaping Serbia today.

Now, tensions between citizens demanding accountability and a government determined to hold its grip on power have reached a new, boiling point. But what does this movement show about the future of democracy in Serbia?

Over the past year the country has seen months of marches, sit-ins, arrests, police violence, and most importantly a political awakening among young Serbians who refuse to let the tragedy be quietly buried under bureaucracy and excuses.

The anniversary saw tens of thousands return to Novi Sad. A 16-minute silence honoured each victim. And while the grief is constant, so is the tension. In Belgrade, riot police separated government loyalists from anti-government protesters. Bottles and flares flew and the message from the streets remains unchanged: accountability, transparency, and an end to corruption.

At the centre of this latest confrontation is Dijana Hrka, the mother of 16-year-old Stefan, who died in the collapse. She began a hunger strike outside parliament, demanding justice and early elections. Students and citizens across the country rallied around her.

Meanwhile, the pro-government camp that has been stationed outside parliament since March remains in place, protected by the police and widely seen as a human barrier between the public and the presidency.

Authorities continue to crack down. Hundreds of protesters have been detained over the past year. State-friendly media has labelled student activists “terrorists”. Rail travel was suspended on the eve of the anniversary demonstration, officially because of a bomb threat, unofficially to stop people reaching Novi Sad.

President Vučić, who spent much of the year dismissing demonstrators and accusing them of trying to stage a “colour revolution”, has suddenly softened his tone, apologising for some of his remarks.

Now this movement is about whether institutions, not just in Serbia but in Europe, serve citizens or power. Whether corruption can become so normal that it is only questioned when tragedies happen.

For the EU, this is a moment of moral clarity, especially while Serbia is trying to join the block. Brussels cannot champion rule of law, transparency, and youth participation and then look away when those values are demanded on European streets.

And Serbian citizens have noticed every time Europe hesitates, every time leaders shake Vučić’s hand while protesters are dragged away by police. Serbia’s future depends not only on who governs, but on whether democratic promises are taken seriously.

So what can Serbians expect next?

Thirteen people, including a former minister, face charges over the station collapse. Protesters say this is necessary, but not sufficient.

Students are preparing to propose an independent, technocratic interim government and are pushing for early elections. Their movement has cut through political fatigue in ways opposition parties have not managed for years.

The government, meanwhile, is alternating between repression and reconciliation, hoping the movement will eventually lose steam. So far, it hasn’t.

In Brussels, Commission president Ursula von der Leyen says Serbia must “get concrete” about joining the EU. And Serbia’s citizens are already doing exactly that, demanding concrete accountability, concrete safety, and concrete democracy.