Tens of thousands of people are expected to gather to mark the anniversary of a major disaster in Serbia, a year after a canopy collapsed outside a train station and killed 16 people.
The incident in the northern town of Novi Sad sparked nationwide protests, led by students angry that the tragedy was the consequence of government corruption and cost-cutting.
The protest movement, which has grown in size, initially wanted accountability for the tragedy but is now calling for new elections and democratic reform. It has rocked a country which has a long history of anti-government protests.
Serbia’s prime minister resigned in January along with other government ministers, but so far nobody has been charged or tried in connection with the roof collapse.
The protests have been mostly peaceful, although there have been sporadic moments of violence with each side blaming the other for causing it. Hundreds of protesters have been arrested at major gatherings including at a huge demonstration held in Belgrade last March.
A series of marches will converge in Novi Sad on Saturday, following 16 days of walking across the country – a day for each of the people who died. Huge crowds were also seen in the town on Friday night.
The march has brought more visibility to the student movement, which has been locked in disagreement with the Serbian government for the past year.
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“We have made a huge difference,” Luka, a student, told us. “We can see a lot more people are politically active. I can see a lot more people are willing to change, and that’s a huge step forward.”
“We are going to continue to fight against our corrupt government,” said another protester, Andjela.
The demonstrators have been cheered and supported as they’ve passed through villages and towns, in a sign that the demonstrators are gathering widespread support. People have also given them free food and medical treatment.
“These kids are fighting for values that are normal throughout the world,” a war veteran on the walk said to us.
“We have laws, but they are not respected, they exist only as dead letters on paper. Crime has prevailed here, especially within state institutions and we must fight against that.”
Train lines between Belgrade and Novi Sad were shut on Friday after a reported bomb scare. Some believe it was an attempt to prevent people from travelling to Novi Sad for the anniversary.
Speaking on the eve of the commemorative event, Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic played down the protests and vowed there would be no change of government. But he did announce a national day of mourning starting at midnight on Friday.
The mass protests have also put a spotlight on media freedom in Serbia.
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News organisations writing or broadcasting criticism of the government, or even just reporting on the student protests, say they have been singled out and targeted.
Igor Bozic, news director at the N1 news channel, said: “The president repeated so many times we are terroristic media, we are enemy of the state and he is targeting us, not only N1 but by also pointing out reporters and anchors, and claiming they’re people who don’t like this country.
“Immediately that produces a huge number of threats to us because that kind of narrative comes directly from the first man of the country.”
The European Union, which Serbia is hoping to join, has also been critical of the country’s approach to independent media, saying only last week that further reforms are needed.
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But Serbia’s minister for European integration defended his government’s handling of the media and the protests, and suggested some news organisations are deliberately destabilising the country.
“I wouldn’t say they [anti-government media outlets] are a threat to national security,” Nemanja Starovic said, “but on the other hand you have illegal activities and 25,000 illegal political gatherings that are not suppressed but nevertheless they are illegal, and then you have media outlets that are not just covering but participating in gathering and organising such events.
“That is something we cannot support. That is the fact of life we are witnessing here.”
