—NOTE: Novi Sad is Serbia's second largest city, and it's the place where it all began.

The collapse of the concrete canopy at Novi Sad’s main railway station in November 2024 killed 16 people and triggered mass protests across Serbia over alleged negligence and corruption.

🇷🇸 Clashses in Nis

—NOTE: Niš is Serbia’s third-largest city, located in the south of the country with around 183,000 inhabitants. One of Europe’s oldest cities, it was the birthplace of Roman Emperor Constantine the Great.

Vučić spoke with TASS media about the SNS office destruction in Novi Sad: "That night, they tried to burn people alive. Can you imagine what they would do to those inside? They would burn 300 people alive!" Vucic said.

"Now everyone understands who we are dealing with and that they never wanted peace. All this time, it was only about violence."

Personal note: People are simply fed up with corrupt politicians. Vučić will keep clamoring about color revolutions to distract from his inability to deal with root domestic issues. Classic Balkan politics.

—NOTE: There are three offices of the SNS in Novi Sad.

Clashes began at the only one left standing after yesterday’s destruction in Kosovska Street, near the city center, and then spread to the other two, which were severely damaged.

🇷🇸- Scenes from Serbia, after police arrested some of the protesters.

Investigative Brief: Novi Sad Railway Station Canopy Oversight

The Novi Sad Railway Station, originally completed in 1964, featured a concrete entrance canopy supported by metal beams. At the time of construction, the structural lifespan of these beams—let alone the concrete—was estimated at approximately 50 years, suggesting the need for significant review or replacement by 2014.

In 2013, Serbia, Hungary, and China signed a memorandum of understanding to redevelop the Budapest-Belgrade railway line, a major infrastructure project under China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Novi Sad is a key station on this route. Renovation work at the station began in 2021.

Prior to the commencement of upgrades, the station was designated a "property enjoying prior protection" by the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of Novi Sad. This classification obligated the Institute to issue guidelines for preserving the station's visual identity—specifically, the appearance of the entrance canopy. However, the Institute’s mandate did not extend to structural engineering assessments or interventions.

Responsibility for the renovation was assigned to Chinese firms, which later refused to disclose contracts and invoices—documents that would have clarified the scope of the work undertaken.

Evidence now suggests that the front canopy, already exceeding its intended lifespan by more than a decade, received only superficial cosmetic treatment during the renovation. No substantive structural reinforcement or replacement was performed. When questions of accountability arose, the parties involved deflected blame by citing adherence to the Institute’s preservation guidelines—guidelines that never addressed, nor were intended to address, the canopy's structural integrity.

TLDR -- Serbian authorities hired a Chinese firm to perform the work at a cheaper rate than a local firm and pocketed the difference; cutting corners /neglecting work and ultimately killing 16 people.