Cause of 14 people die at the railway station in Novi Sad a large civil protest was held. The organizers request that all those who are directly and indirectly responsible for the tragedy that happened on November 1, when a concrete canopy fell on people, to resign but also to be criminally liable. According to the preliminary estimate of the "Archive of Public Meetings" organization, around 20.000 citizens took to the streets in Novi Sad.
At the beginning of the meeting, Aleksandra Pleskonjić Ilić, the drama champion of the Serbian National Theater in Novi Sad, addressed the audience.
She read the demands of the organizers that those responsible for this tragedy be arrested and punished and that all contracts signed with all companies involved in the reconstruction of the Railway Station be published.
It was also requested that the Prime Minister of Serbia, Miloš Vučević, and the Mayor of Novi Sad, Milan Đurić, submit their resignations.
Vučić: No one will get away with it, all the guilty will be punished
The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, addressed the citizens at the SNS premises in Novi Sad.
"The state has taken all measures to punish those responsible. No one will get away with making a mistake. I want to thank the two wonderful people who looked after our premises. They weren't afraid of the pack, who had their hands on their backs, it was clear that they weren't going to use force. But it wasn't enough for them. They trampled our flag and destroyed the City Hall. All that they built for centuries in our wonderful city," said Vučić.
He added that all the culprits will be held accountable for what happened in Novi Sad.
"We will help the families of the victims and ensure that those who died are never forgotten." With violence, you will never be able to achieve anything in modern and decent Serbia," President Aleksandar Vučić pointed out.
Goran Ješić was detained
Plainclothes police detained Democratic Party member and former provincial official Goran Ješić.
He was taken into custody by the policemen after he pushed away one of the plainclothes policemen when they were detaining one of the young men.
Photo: N1Arrest of Goran Ješić
Vučić arrived in Novi Sad
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić arrived in Novi Sad, Belgrade media reports.
His address is expected.
Masked young men are demolishing buildings in Novi Sad
A group of masked men is demolishing buildings in Novi Sad and they demolished the fence behind which a public garage is being built in Modene Street, where they clashed with the police.
Most of the citizens moved away from the City Hall, and there remained a small group of hooligans, who persistently try to break down the door, but the police stationed in the building reacts only by throwing tear gas.
And near the City Hall, in the passage of Lajos Zillahi, there is a police force with full equipment for breaking up demonstrations, but they have not reacted to the attacks of hooligans either.
Removing cameras and breaking windows
Young men with hoods continued to throw stones at the City Hall in Novi Sad, and some of them climbed onto the window, removed and broke two video surveillance cameras.
After that, the largest amount of tear gas was thrown during tonight's protest. Due to the large amount of tear gas, most of the gathered citizens moved away from the City Hall, but a smaller group of vandals continued to break the windows.
Many of the citizens who attended the protest are leaving.
Kamenice at the police cordon near Freedom Square
A police cordon was formed in Novi Sad's Modena Street.
A group of masked young men are throwing stones at that cordon.
Photo: N1Throwing stones at the police
Fire in the City Hall in Novi Sad
After several hours of chaos in front of the City Hall, on its ground floor where the police are stationed, a fire broke out, N1 announced.
This was preceded by the breaking of glass on the windows on the side of the City Hall, after which the demonstrators hung the banner "Let Serbia stop, let the prosecutor go" on one of the windows.
Some of the crowd threw firecrackers into the building, to which the police immediately responded with tear gas.
Photo: N1Fire in the Town Hall
The police fired tear gas
The citizens tried to enter the City Hall by force, after which the police fired tear gas into the crowd.
After that, the protesters withdrew.
Vučić: Creepy demonstrations against the state of Serbia
"Creepy, violent protests against the state of Serbia are ongoing in Novi Sad. Serbia will defend its flag, its name and surname and punish all perpetrators of criminal acts. Don't have any doubts about that," said Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić in a post on social networks.
Stones and paint towards the police cordon inside the City Hall
A large column of citizens arrived in front of the City Hall.
Residents of Novi Sad who attend this protest tell "Vreme" that this is the largest gathering that has taken place in Novi Sad.
Citizens reached the City Hall, and soon stones and red paint flew towards the police cordon located inside the City Hall. The windows of this institution were broken.
Police officers inside City Hall are in riot gear.
The demonstrators announced that they will remain in that place for the next 48 hours, the deadline they give the authorities to fulfill their demands.
If they do not fulfill them, the demonstrators plan to go to Belgrade.
Dropped feces on the Town Hall
A tank with feces was brought from the Railway Station in front of the Town Hall, and then it was emptied in front of it.
"Performance" was previously announced by councilor Misha Bachulov, who says that they want to show the authorities how the citizens feel.
"Until you give us what we asked for - the change of government, the change of Vucevic and responsibility, we will fight." No breaking up, this is our town. They want us to burn everything, sit at home. We will not allow them to do that. This is their responsibility. There is no tomorrow if we leave here without fulfilling our conditions. We will be slaves forever if we leave. I invite Vucevic, Đurić and all those responsible to appear here. Now you will open that door and let us in," he said in his speech.
Oysters, bottles and cans flew into the window of SNS
Individual guys with masks, while the column passed by the headquarters of the Serbian Progressive Party, threw stones, bottles and cans at the window of the SNS.
After that, a guy kicked the window, and the participants of the protest stopped him and moved him away. During that situation there was a fight.
They walked away immediately afterwards, refusing to answer questions about why they did so.
As the participants of the protest say, it is done in "inserted elements".
Director of the Student Center doused in red paint
There was a scuffle and a verbal conflict at the SNS headquarters on the Boulevard of Liberation because of the intention of those gathered to put up posters. Demonstrators covered the windows of the ruling party with red paint.
Those gathered took down the flags of Serbia in front of the party's premises, distributed and pasted posters with SNS ministers and officials, including a poster with the image of Tomislav Momirović, who was once the Minister of Construction.
At one point, the director of the Novi Sad Student Center, Zoran Momirović, appeared in front of the gathering and tried to stop the students from displaying beautiful posters.
He did not answer the question whether he was there as the president of the Center or as an official.
The students did a performance of red hands in front of the Center, where they poured red paint on the director of SC.
Photo: N1Director of SC Novi Sad doused in red paint
Vučić: The Serbian tricolor was destroyed by all those who did not love Serbia
On the Instagram account of the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, a video of the incident was published, in which demonstrators from the premises of the Serbian Progressive Party in Novi Sad took down the hanging Serbian flags.
"Our Serbian tricolor was destroyed, hidden and removed by all those who did not love Serbia. Tonight, in Novi Sad, this is what those who tell us that they love Serbia more than us, the decent citizens of this country, are doing. No one has beaten Serbia and the Serbian tricolor, so they won't either!", reads the announcement.
A tank full of feces in front of the railway station
A large number of people have already gathered in front of the Railway Station. They blocked the Liberation Boulevard leading to the station building.
A tractor with "Drinking water" written on it was also brought.
Reporter N1 stated that she does not feel that there is drinking water in the cistern.
She asked Misha Bachulova, who drove the tractor, what it was all about.
"This cistern represents everything that our government does in this country - this cistern is full of feces, and we will deliver it all to them, with the message that this must be emptied." We are going to the City Hall and there we will leave them a couple of gifts, what they have been leaving us for 12 years," he said.
At 18:14, a large protest should begin due to the collapse of the railway station canopy, in which XNUMX people died and three people were seriously injured.
Photo: N1Tank with feces
A city full of police
The police officers, who had shields and other equipment, were deployed in the Assembly of Vojvodina, in the Town Hall, near Spens, the Serbian National Theater, and are also in the yard of the Town Assembly, Novi Sad portal 021 reports.
Citizens report that patrols are also deployed at the entrances to Novi Sad.
Tension is felt in Novi Sad before tonight's protest called by the opposition, which will begin at 18 p.m. at the railway station.
During the night and morning, several shop windows of the premises of the Serbian Progressive Party were smeared with red paint.
In the meantime, the united Novi Sad opposition announced that SNS prepares the fans which tonight would cause riots and destruction of public property.
As they stated, they will not succeed, adding that they have prepared "guards who will resist them, record and take pictures of their activities".
Meanwhile, a call for tonight's protest is being shared on social networks with the message "action, not a walk", with the addition: "Leave children and pets at home, bring water, food and equipment, be prepared".
Source: 021 / N1
