Two Years After Novi Sad: How a Station Canopy Collapse Led Serbia From Protests to a Change of Government

Sunday marks two years since 16 people were killed when a train station canopy collapsed in the Serbian city of Novi Sad. The accident of 1 November 2024 prompted student-led protests that swiftly evolved into a wider political campaign, and last week that campaign brought the Student List opposition movement to power.

On 1 November 2024, the concrete canopy of the renovated Novi Sad railway station building collapsed, killing 14 people at the scene, with three others taken to hospital in critical condition. Two of them later died of their injuries, in November 2024 and March 2025, bringing the total number of victims to 16. The tragedy led to public outrage, raising questions about the quality of the work, lack of transparency in the spending of public money and endemic corruption.

Just four days after the accident, on 5 November 2024, thousands of protesters gathered in Novi Sad to demand accountability for those responsible. The protests escalated into clashes with police, with dozens of protesters arrested and City Hall damaged. Observers pointed to the swift judicial response to the protesters, while the investigation into the accident itself remained stalled.

On 19 November, opposition MPs, councillors and citizens blocked the entrance to the court and prosecutor's office building in Novi Sad for three consecutive days, demanding the release of those arrested and an accelerated investigation into those responsible for the collapse. The blockade was marked by daily confrontations with police in riot gear.

After three weeks of public pressure, on 21 November the higher public prosecutor's office in Novi Sad announced that 11 people had been arrested in connection with the deaths at the railway station, including former Construction Minister Goran Vesic and other officials.

Between 22 and 25 November, students and professors came under attack during a memorial service for the victims in front of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts of the University of Arts in Belgrade. The incident marked a turning point, prompting students to launch a university sit-in to demand the prosecution of the attackers, the publication of documentation on the railway station's reconstruction and the release of all detained protesters.

On 11 December, under strong pressure from months of protests and university blockades, authorities published part of the documentation on the reconstruction of the railway station. Eight binders containing 195 documents were presented, but students and others dismissed the move as insufficient, demanding full transparency and criminal accountability for the contractors and supervisory institutions.

On 30 December, prosecutors in Novi Sad officially filed an indictment against 13 people on suspicion of serious crimes against public security, improper execution of construction works and abuse of office. But higher courts overturned detention orders for Vesic and Serbia Railways Infrastructure's acting general director Jelena Tanaskovic, putting them under house arrest, while a dispute over the jurisdiction of the prosecution offices and the transfer of case files further called the transparency of the proceedings into question.

On 15 January 2025, the public prosecutor's office for organised crime in Belgrade launched a separate investigation into potential financial fraud, corruption and money laundering during the reconstruction of the railway station. It involves Vesic, former Trade Minister Tomislav Momirovic and 12 other individuals, including managers of construction and supervision companies.

On 28 January 2025, public outcry erupted after governing party activists attacked and seriously injured students of the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, and Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic submitted his resignation — the government's biggest political concession to date. The protests and blockades continued regardless.

On 11 March 2025, thirteen activists and students were arrested in Novi Sad on the eve of planned large protests in Belgrade, charged with undermining the constitutional order and violent behaviour; civil society organisations denounced the arrests as politically motivated. On 15 March, hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated in Belgrade. On 28 May, Novi Sad's High Court replaced prison detention with house arrest for some of the imprisoned activists and students, and on 25 June some of the accused activists left Serbia for European Union countries.

On 9 September 2026, the informal student-led movement morphed into a political force following the announcement of snap parliamentary elections for October: the Student List–Students Win grouping was formed, bringing together students, professors and legal experts. On 27 September, longtime leader Aleksandar Vucic resigned as president of Serbia to lead the Serbian Progressive Party-led electoral list; on his last day as president, he pardoned all prosecuted students and activists, ending the proceedings for 'undermining the constitutional order' and allowing the safe return of activists from exile — a move widely seen as an attempt to ease social tensions ahead of the election campaign.

In the elections, Vucic conceded defeat to the Student List, in a vote that saw turnout reach its highest level in more than 30 years. Accountability for the Novi Sad railway station tragedy remains a central issue following the announcement of the results.