Serbian authorities have arrested 14 people after rioting at a protest over the collapse of a concrete canopy at the main train station in Novi Sad last week that killed 14 people.
The Interior Ministry announced on November 6 that the 14 people were detained during and after the protest. One of them was handed over to a juvenile judge for alleged violent behavior at a public meeting, three people were charged with a misdemeanor, and one was released after making a statement.
Authorities in Novi Sad previously announced that a total of nine people had been arrested after the riots and that one person was being sought.
The violence broke out during a protest on November 5 in the Serbian city where the canopy collapsed on November 1. The Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad said earlier that the charges include destruction of property, attacking an official, and causing general danger, the prosecutor's office said in a press release.
Ten police officers and two citizens suffered mild injuries in the riots, Assistant Director of Police Dragan Vasiljevic said in a statement to the Radio Television of Serbia.
SEE ALSO: Protest Turns Violent In Serbian City Where Canopy Collapse Killed 14Protesters hurled red paint and stones at City Hall, where Novi Sad city government offices are located, on November 5 as they demanded accountability for the collapse of the canopy.
Novi Sad Mayor Milan Djuric visited City Hall on November 6, demanding those responsible for the damage be punished according to the law.
Authorities will assess the property that was damaged and destroyed and will "continue to take appropriate legal proceedings against those who caused the damage," Djuric said at a news conference.
Djuric said the protests were "a direct attack on the president of the country, Aleksandar Vucic," and that the demands that Vucic and other Serbian government officials resign were irrelevant.
Asked why the police did not react earlier and prevent the destruction of the building, Djuric said that was not a question for him to answer.
Both national and local authorities blamed the incidents on the opposition, which had called for the protest.
Ana Brnabic, president of the Serbian parliament, condemned the violence, saying the images from the events on November 5 “do not serve the honor of Serbia."
She told a news conference in Belgrade on November 6 that the authorities will insist on full responsibility for "everything, both criminal morally and politically" and will not stop until this is fulfilled.