Belgrade has seen one of the largest anti-government rallies in Serbia’s recent history, as students, farmers, bikers and military veterans flooded the capital to demand accountability over a deadly canopy collapse in Novi Sad and to press a wider challenge to President Aleksandar Vučić.
The Interior Ministry estimated the crowd at about 107,000, while Serbian NGO Arhiv javnih skupova put the number much higher, at between 275,000 and 325,000. The DW report in the packet says the event was likely the largest protest since the ouster of Slobodan Milošević in 2000, which gives the demonstration its historical significance even if precise crowd counting remains disputed.
The protest was driven by anger over the November collapse of the railway station canopy in Novi Sad, which killed 15 people. Demonstrators have argued that corruption, poor renovation work and the government’s handling of documents related to the project all deserve scrutiny. Serbian officials initially said no work had been done on the canopy, but later acknowledged that the structure had been altered during reconstruction.
What began as a demand for accountability has expanded into a broader indictment of Vučić’s rule. The packet says protesters are also raising concerns about corruption, nepotism, natural resource management, voter fraud, media control and the handling of other deadly incidents. That wider list of grievances explains why the rally attracted such a broad coalition of participants.
The day was marked by tense and unusual moments. A loud noise, described as similar to an incoming projectile or falling aircraft, startled the crowd during a 15-minute silence for the victims. Some protesters and outside analysts suggested the sound could have come from an acoustic weapon, while police denied using such a device and said the action would not have been legal. At least one person was severely injured after being beaten during the protests, though the circumstances were unclear.
Vučić said 56 people were injured and 22 were detained on suspicion of vandalism and assault. He also struck a somewhat more conciliatory tone than in earlier days, though he had warned before the march that officials would arrest troublemakers and that the state would show its strength. The government had already blocked a major bridge and suspended public transport.
The event date is 2025-03-15. On that date, the verified facts were the scale of the rally, the crowd estimates, the disaster in Novi Sad that motivated it and the government’s response to the protest.
The immediate significance is that a movement over one fatal infrastructure collapse has become one of the biggest political challenges Vučić has faced in years.
The government’s response suggested it understood the rally as more than a one-day march. Blocking a bridge, suspending transport and warning of arrests are all signs of an administration preparing for prolonged pressure rather than a passing disturbance. The scale of the crowd, the breadth of the coalition and the persistence of the movement mean Vučić now faces a protest wave with its own momentum and political memory.
