Source: Aljazeera

DST News: Thousands of young Serbians have embarked on a cross-country march culminating in a major rally in Novi Sad, marking one year since the tragic train station collapse that killed 16 people and ignited the nation’s largest antigovernment movement in decades.

The deadly roof collapse, which occurred on November 1 last year in the town of Indija, claimed the lives of 16 people — including four children — and triggered widespread anger over alleged government negligence and corruption. Protesters have since been demanding accountability and early elections, but President Aleksandar Vucic has so far resisted such calls.

On Thursday, university students in Belgrade set out on a 90-kilometre (56-mile) march to Novi Sad, waving flags and chanting slogans against corruption and mismanagement. Tens of thousands of protesters are expected to join the main rally on Saturday.

Some demonstrators began their journey weeks ago, walking hundreds of kilometres from towns like Novi Pazar in the southwest. “The main reason we’re marching is for the 16 victims — because after a whole year, no one has been held responsible,” said Emina Spahic, a student from Novi Pazar.

Another marcher, Enes Dzogovic, said local communities had been supporting them along the route. “People from even the most remote places have been helping us with food, water, and shelter,” he told Al Jazeera.

The protest movement, which began as a demand for justice for the victims, has now evolved into a broader campaign against President Vucic’s right-wing government, accused of authoritarianism and corruption.

Over the past year, mass demonstrations in Belgrade and other cities have often ended in violent clashes between protesters and riot police. Despite calls for “democratic dialogue,” public frustration continues to grow, with many Serbians seeing the train station tragedy as a symbol of deeper institutional decay.