Thousands of Serbian youth are marching across the country before a mass rally in the northern town of Novi Sad, marking the first anniversary of a train station collapse that prompted the country’s biggest antigovernment protest movement in decades.
The roof failure on November 1 last year killed 16 people, including four children, and led to ongoing calls to remove the right-wing populist President Aleksandar Vucic. Protesters have blamed deep-seated government corruption and demanded snap elections, which Vucic has ignored.
In the capital of Belgrade on Thursday, university students waved flags as they started the 90km (56-mile) march to Novi Sad, where they are expected to join tens of thousands of other protesters on Saturday.
Others have been marching for weeks, including from the southwestern town of Novi Pazar, more than 300km (185 miles) from Novi Sad, reported Al Jazeera’s Milena Veselinovic.
“The main reason we decided to do the walk is the 16 victims, and the fact that even after one year, no one has been held responsible for their deaths,” Emina Spahic, one of the Novi Pazar students, told Al Jazeera.
Enes Dzogovic, another student, said people in even “the most remote places” had aided the students with “whatever we need” along the road.
“They’re always there to help us,” he said.
