NOVI SAD, Serbia -- Protesters hurled red paint and stones at City Hall in Novi Sad on November 5 as they demanded accountability for the deaths of 14 people in the collapse of a concrete canopy at the city’s train station.
The glass doors of City Hall were shattered when a group of masked men threw incendiary devices inside the building, prompting riot police to respond with tear gas. The protesters also dumped manure in front of City Hall.
Misa Baculov, a representative of the civic group Be A Hero and a former mayoral candidate, said the manure “symbolizes what they've been doing to us for years."
The protesters demanded the resignations of Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic and Novi Sad Mayor Milan Djuric, as well as the immediate arrest and punishment of those responsible for the collapse of the canopy.
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Serbia Mourns Victims Of Roof Collapse
They also called for public access to the contract with the Chinese consortium that recently renovated the station and the disclosure of other secret contracts with private companies involved in major national infrastructure projects.
The station reopened in July after a three-year renovation led by the Chinese consortium CRIC & CCCC. Serbian railway authorities said that the canopy outside the main entrance of the station was not part of the renovation.
Baculov urged protesters to remain peaceful and called on the police to open the doors of City Hall so the protesters’ demands could be delivered.
SEE ALSO: Serbian Minister Resigns Following Deadly Train Station AccidentThousands initially gathered at the train station, where the canopy collapsed on November 1, and then marched through central Novi Sad holding banners reading: "You are guilty, you will answer."
Photos of the victims, including children, were carried at the front of the march, and the crowd chanted "Resignations," "Prison," and "Arrest the gang."
A strong police force was deployed in Novi Sad ahead of the gathering, which was organized by opposition parties and civic groups. It began with a moment of silence for the victims near the site of the accident.
Some demonstrators threw stones and other objects at the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) office, breaking windows.
The flag of the SNS party was removed from the office before the protest began, and the building was plastered with photos of government officials that the protesters say should be held responsible.
President Aleksandar Vucic responded by saying the flag had been “destroyed and removed by those who claim to love Serbia more than we, the decent citizens of this country."
So far, only one government minister, Goran Vesic, has resigned. He announced he would step down effective November 5 from the job of minister of construction, transport, and infrastructure but denied responsibility for the collapse of the canopy.
The cause of the collapse remains unclear.
Vucic noted that it will be "difficult" for prosecutors and courts to establish criminal liability, but he acknowledged that the canopy, though not part of the renovation, had glass added to it.
"However, it held up for two years, and it’s questionable whether that caused the collapse or if it was due to 60 years of corrosion. Experts will have to determine that," Vucic told Happy TV on November 4, adding that "the steel cables were worn out."
The Novi Sad High Public Prosecutor's Office has so far questioned 48 individuals, including Vesic, the director of the Novi Sad Institute for Monument Protection, and officials from Serbian Railways and Infrastructure.
The prosecutor's office has also seized documents from multiple institutions and companies and ordered expert analyses to determine the cause of the collapse and those responsible.