BELGRADE (AFP) – Student organisers in Serbia called for a general strike this week, according to an announcement yesterday, in the latest move to increase pressure on officials over the fatal collapse of a train station roof last year.
The Balkan country has been hit by regular protests after a roof at a train station in the northern city of Novi Sad collapsed in November, killing 15 people, following restoration work at the facility.
The announcement posted on social media by a leading student group called for Serbians to engage in “general civil disobedience” tomorrow and to avoid going to work, shopping and engaging in other normal daily life activities.
“Let’s take freedom into our own hands! Your participation makes a difference,” said the statement.
Calls for a general strike have been growing in recent days following a raft of strike announcements by scattered unions and professional organisations.
Public outrage has fuelled almost daily protests and road blockades across Serbia, with many attributing the deaths in Novi Sad to corruption and poor oversight of construction projects.
University students have largely emerged as the leaders of the movement and have been blockading campuses across the country for months. More than a dozen people have been charged in connection with the northern city’s train station tragedy, including former transport minister Goran Vesic, who resigned days after the incident.
Under pressure from the protests, the government has also released documentation related to the station’s renovation project, claiming it has met all demands and accusing demonstrators of being backed by foreign powers.
But protesters are demanding greater transparency into the investigations.
They are also protesting against the government’s response to the protests and against physical attacks targeting student demonstrators, which organisers have alleged were carried out by hooligans sent by authorities.
