Tens of thousands of people gathered in Novi Sad on 1 November to mark two years since the railway-station canopy collapse that killed 16 people and helped transform Serbia’s political landscape. The commemoration followed the election victory of a student-led movement whose origins lay in demands for accountability over the disaster.

Participants observed 16 minutes of silence before leaving flowers, wreaths and candles near the station. The anniversary returned public attention to the deaths themselves after weeks dominated by electoral campaigning and political change. Reuters

Students had announced three starting points for the commemorative procession: the medical faculty, Liman Park and the approach to the Rainbow Bridge. The gathering was scheduled around 11:52, the time at which the canopy collapsed on 1 November 2024.

The arrangements reflected the movement’s continuing ability to organise across the city. They also gave participants a shared route towards the site that became the focal point of their campaign. The published programme centred on remembrance rather than a conventional victory rally. N1 info

Radio Free Europe reported that university representatives laid 16 wreaths bearing the victims’ names. Organisers had asked participants to avoid political insignia, banners and noise. A separate gathering in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, also observed a minute of silence for each victim.

The judicial process remains unfinished. According to RFE’s anniversary report, the trial had still not begun, although the Novi Sad appellate court confirmed the indictment in July. Those accused include former construction minister Goran Vesić and former railway-infrastructure executives. An indictment sets out allegations to be examined in court; it does not establish criminal responsibility. slobodnaevropa.org

Student speakers rejected descriptions that, in their view, reduced the collapse to an unavoidable accident. They insisted that responsibility remained the central issue and pledged to continue commemorating the dead. Their language expressed the movement’s judgement and demands, distinct from findings that a court must reach through evidence and due process. slobodnaevropa.org

The anniversary highlighted a challenge for Serbia’s emerging political leadership. Electoral success can change who exercises power, but it cannot substitute for a credible investigation, a fair trial or answers for bereaved families.

The silence outside the station consequently carried a continuing political significance: the movement’s original demand for accountable institutions remains unresolved, even after its breakthrough at the ballot box.