Tens of thousands protest on New Year's Eve in Serbian capital, demanding political reforms

(2 Jan 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Belgrade, Serbia - 31 December 2024 / 1 January 2025
++NIGHT SHOTS++
1. Various of students and protesters walking
2. SOUNDBITE (Serbian) No name given, Political Science Student:
++SOUNDBITE STARTS ON PREVIOUS SHOT AND IS OVERLAID BY SHOT3++
“We are here to mark the New Year, but in a special way. We’ll stay silent at midnight. I’m glad that we’re gathering here together, and we are here to mark this holiday, but today we mark it with the memory of the people who are no longer with us.”
3. Students carrying banner reading (Serbian Cyrillic) “There is No New Year - You Still Owe Us for the Old One”
4. Protesters waving Serbian flags
5. Students and protesters holding banners
6. SOUNDBITE (Serbian) Dusan Mitrasinovic, Belgrade resident:
++SOUNDBITE STARTS ON PREVIOUS SHOT AND IS OVERLAID BY SHOT7++
“(I am here) because it’s my duty. Because my children are here, because the children of my friends are here. Because it’s extraordinarily beautiful to be together with the people who are showing that some things are possible to us elderly folks who thought this was impossible.”
7. Various of protesters during 15 minutes of silence (one minute for each Novi Sad victim)
STORYLINE:
Tens of thousands of protesters led by university students gathered in Belgrade and other Serbian cities on New Year's Eve.
Instead of the traditional street party to herald in the new year, they demanded political reforms and justice in the Balkan country.
Protesters have been demonstrating for two months, ever since the collapse of a concrete canopy at the central station in the northern town of Novi Sad on November 1, which killed 15 people.
The incident has been attributed to corruption and substandard construction practices by the populist Serbian leadership, leading to widespread public outcry and demands for accountability.
Dusan Mitrasinovic joined the Belgrade protest, saying it was "his duty".
The crowd of demonstrators went silent for 15 minutes just before midnight, to honor the victims of the Novi Sad tragedy.
The New Year Eve protest came just over a week after tens of thousands rallied together with students in what was one of the biggest gatherings in recent years in the Serbian capital.
AP video by Marko Drobnjakovic
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[@ljiljananovakovic1265]

Bravo studenti 👍❤🇷🇸