Police fire tear gas at Serbians protesting deadly station roof collapse

Demonstrators request arrests and accountability aft 14 radical were killed and 3 others were critically injured.

Thousands of Serbians took to the streets successful the metropolis of Novi Sad successful rage implicit past week’s roof illness astatine a railway station that killed 14 people.

Police officers successful riot gear, deployed wrong the 19th-century gathering successful the metropolis centre, responded to the protests connected Tuesday nighttime by firing teardrop state canisters and clashing with demonstrators astir the metropolis hallway building. They besides utilized capsicum spray aft protesters broke the windows.

Some masked protesters allegedly hurled stones and different objects astatine the gathering contempt calls by organisers to stay calm. Earlier, they hurled eggs, bottles and bricks astatine an bureau of the governing Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).

Mass protestation successful Novi Sad, days aft railway presumption illness killed 14. Demonstrators demanding resignations, arrests. #Serbia pic.twitter.com/N7E2jR3ZGA

— Boris Malagurski (@malagurski) November 5, 2024

Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic said constabulary were “showing restraint” portion informing that “horrific, convulsive protests are nether way”.

“People of Serbia, delight bash not deliberation unit is allowed,” helium said successful societal media posts, adding that each “perpetrators of transgression acts” volition beryllium punished.

After the protests, rally organisers said rioters belonged to groups of provocateurs with imaginable ties to the populist government. They claimed that the maneuver has been utilized earlier to thwart peaceful antigovernment protests and smear the opposition.

As the protests coiled down aboriginal connected Tuesday, Vucic made a astonishment travel to Novi Sad, with a little quality earlier his supporters, who had gathered successful hundreds extracurricular the enactment headquarters.

He besides released an representation of himself shaking hands with constabulary officers and expressed his backing.

The offices of the Serbian Progressive Party, with partially torn pictures of President Aleksandar Vucic and Prime Minister Milos Vucevic covered successful reddish paint, successful Novi Sad, connected November 5, 2024 [Marko Djurica/Reuters]

Serbia’s absorption politicians, activists and rights groups impeach authorities loyal to Vucic and the SNS of rampant corruption, ties with organised crime, nepotism and excessive reddish tape. Vucic and his allies contradict the allegations.

A six-year-old miss was among 14 killed erstwhile the monolithic 35-metre (115-foot) canopy connected the outer partition of the railway presumption successful Novi Sad abruptly collapsed, critically injuring 3 different people.

The bid presumption had been renovated doubly successful caller years and had been reopened successful July aft the latest round. Construction enactment inactive continued successful parts of the presumption erstwhile the extortion collapsed.

But officials insisted that the canopy of the railway presumption primitively built successful 1964 had not been portion of the renovation work.

On Monday, Transport Minister Goran Vesic resigned implicit the incident. Prosecutors said they person questioned 48 radical truthful far, including Vesic, and person secured evidence.

Masked protesters successful Novi Sad, connected November 5, 2024 [Marko Djurica/Reuters]

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Al Jazeera and quality agencies