Early post-disaster dissent

Early protests primarily took the form of quiet vigils for victims of the collapse. ^[64] However, these protests became larger and more enthusiastic demonstrations over time, with demonstrators accusing police and local authorities of negligence and corruption. Protesters began demanding a transparent investigation into the collapse, and the release of documents related to the incident. The Associated Press suggested that the collapse has also served as a flash point for expressions of dissatisfaction with the Serbian government as a whole. ^[64]

President Aleksandar Vučić, Minister of Construction Goran Vesić and pro-government news outlets initially claimed the canopy was never reconstructed, even though news articles and videos about the reconstruction were still available online, showing Vesić officially opening the reconstructed Novi Sad Railway Station. ^{[65] [66] [67]} Faced with accusations and public outrage, Vesić announced his resignation, but stated that "he does not feel responsible". ^[68]

Some initial demonstrations escalated into acts of vandalism, with the Novi Sad City Hall being a primary target. ^[69] Red paint was thrown on the city hall entrance and attempts were made to breach the building. ^{[70] [71] [72]} Law enforcement responded with tear gas and arrests, further inflaming tensions. Protesters suggested that these and other violent demonstrations were the result of government plants seeking to derail the protests.

Initial political fallout and arrests

On 20 November, the at-the-time Minister of Trade and former Minister of Construction Tomislav Momirović resigned from the ministerial function. In his resignation letter, he pledged his "eternal loyalty to president Vučić". ^[73]

On 21 November, Vladimir Đukanović, a high-ranking member of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), commented negatively on the protests on his Twitter account: "We must fight against anarcho-terrorists, fake commie intellectuals, the pseudo-elite that is ravaging Serbia with anti-Serbian attitudes. It is time to stop this social scum. In every place and at every step. First of all, in every discussion, and God forbid, if necessary, with force. This scum will no longer be able to terrorize this country. Long live Serbia and just fight bravely". ^[74] On the same day, former Minister Vesić was arrested along with 11 unspecified persons, ^[75] but was let go after six days, and kept his party rank within the SNS. ^[6]

Blockade of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts and growth of the protests

On 22 November, students and professors of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts gathered in the immediate vicinity of the Faculty to pay homage to the fatalities in Novi Sad. The meeting was announced to the authorities in accordance with the law. At the gathering both the students and the professors were attacked by an organized group. ^[76] Some members of the group were allegedly high-ranking officials of the ruling party SNS. ^[76] After the attack on 25 November, the students began an occupation of the faculty in protest. The Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad, joined by the Faculty of Philosophy, the Faculty of Philology, the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and the Faculty of Political Sciences in Belgrade, followed shortly after. ^[77]

One of the November demonstrations in Novi Sad drew 20,000 protesters, making it the largest protest in the city in decades. ^[78] Demonstrators held weekly 15-minute traffic blockade protests on Fridays at 11:52 am, the time of the collapse. ^[79] Cars, some of whose occupants are allegedly affiliated with the SNS, struck protesters during these blockades. ^{[80] [81]}

On 22 November, the students and citizens of Leskovac, in southern Serbia, organized a protest. It started with 15 minutes of silence in honor of the victims of the canopy collapse, and was attended by the mayor of Leskovac, Goran Cvetanović, himself a member of SNS. ^[82] However, the mayor later retracted his support, calling the protesters "students with bad grades" and sharing their school grades with the public, in violation of the Serbian data protection law. ^[83]

In late November, an audio recording was leaked to the press, allegedly with the voice of Damir Zobenica, a high-ranking official of the ruling party, advising other party members to insult and attack the protesters blocking the roads. Zobenica resigned soon after the leak. ^{[84] [85]}

On 1 December, a silent march was held in Novi Sad to commemorate one month since the collapse. ^[86] On the same day, President Aleksandar Vučić publicly said that those who ask for the arrest of the car driver who hit the protesters are "out of their minds", because "the driver was just going on his way". ^{[87] [88]}

Spread of the blockading tactic and first concessions

By early December, Serbian students had begun organizing 24-hour blockades at some school campuses. ^[81] By mid-December, more than 50 university campuses (including the three biggest universities of Belgrade, Novi Sad and Niš) and multiple secondary schools had suspended classes due to student protests. ^[80]

On 5 December, the Bar Association of Serbia announced that the lawyers will organize a one-day strike on 11 December because of "systematic and long-term interference by the executive branch in the work of the judiciary branch and violation of the principle of separation of powers in a democratic society." ^{[89] [ better source needed ]}

On 6 December, during a 15-minute blockade in downtown Belgrade, a car drove through the crowd, injuring four members of the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra who were protesting. ^[90] The Orchestra condemned the attack and the driver was arrested. ^[91]

On 11 December, students demonstrated at the headquarters of the public television station RTS, for their broadcasting of President Aleksandar Vučić's claims that demonstrators are being funded by Western countries who seek to destabilize Serbia. ^{[92] [80] [93]} The same day, Vučić made concessions including promising that all prosecutorial documents related to the disaster would be publicized, announced that all currently held protesters were released, and pledged to pardon any protesters if they were convicted at trial. While the concessions marked the first time since Vučić's rise to power in 2012 that any concessions were made to protesters, they did not include the protest's calls for his resignation. ^[94]

On 12 December, in Čačak, students of the Faculty of Technical Sciences and the Agronomic Faculty organized a protest, which began with 15 minutes of silence. ^[95]

Widening mobilization

On 13 December, farmers in central Serbia blocked Ibar Highway with tractors. ^{[80] [96]} That same day, in Novi Sad, a group of four hooligans attempted to ram their Porsche Cayenne vehicle into the protesters and afterwards physically attacked them. ^{[97] [98]} The attackers were later arrested; it turned out that one of the attackers was an active duty police officer. ^[99]

On 15 December, in a TV interview, prime minister Miloš Vučević said that "you can't bring down a country because of 15 people who died, nor 155, nor 1,555". ^{[100] [101]} Due to overwhelmingly negative reactions, Vučević later apologized.^{[ citation needed ]}

On 17 December, high school students in Mladenovac commemorated the victims of the canopy collapse with 15 minutes of silence. ^[102]

On 19 December, commenting on the involvement of high school students in the protests, Vladimir Đukanović, a high-ranking official of the SNS, stated that "children are property of the state until they reach the age of majority". ^[103] The statement caused great controversy, ^[104] with the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, Brankica Janković, describing it as "utterly unfounded, dangerous, and condemnable". ^[105] Đukanović defended his statement by claiming it was "metaphorical" and "taken out of context". ^[106]

On 20 December, the silent protest was extended by one minute to commemorate a victim from the Zagreb school stabbing in Croatia. ^[107]

First Slavija protest

In response to police brutality and alleged paid hooligans who attacked civilians and protesters, opposition leaders, students, farmers and independent demonstrators organized a large-scale protest on 22 December, at Slavija Square in Belgrade. ^[108] The estimated attendance was between 100,000 and 102,000 people, which marks the biggest protest in Belgrade and Serbia by attendance in recorded history. ^[109]

On 24 December, in an interview, Vučić stated that "if [he] wished so, [he] could send out the Cobras special forces on the students and they would throw them around in 6–7 seconds". ^{[110] [111]} This statement was widely ridiculed, and caused the students to make memes, making fun of Vučić and his phrase "throwing around" ("razbacati"). It is worth noting that Cobras are not in charge of crowd dispersals. ^[112]

On 25 December, people brought 1,000 letters to the office of the public prosecutor Zagorka Dolovac  [ sr ] urging her to "start doing her job". ^[113] That same day, employees of the Serbian intelligence agency BIA paid an unofficial visit to the mother of one of the student organizers, at her workplace. She interpreted this move as a "threat and pressure". ^[114] Other organizers allegedly received telephone calls inviting them to come to BIA offices "for a friendly chat", but no official summons were handed. ^[115] In the evening, over 2,000 people protested in Užice, in front of the city hall. ^[116] The local authority, run by SNS, turned off the street lights in front of the hall, but the protesters brought a portable power generator. ^[117]

December incidents and the announcement of the "loyalist faction"

On 27 December, protesters blocked a road in Ivanjica. An incident occurred when a driver drove his automobile at full speed through the gathered crowd. Once his vehicle stopped, the gathered protesters attacked him, however, he was immediately protected by undercover police standing nearby and allowed to leave the area without legal repercussions. ^[118] That same day, 200 employees of RTS signed a petition in support of the protests. ^[119]

On 29 December, Vučić publicly accused eight Croatian students from FER, who were visiting their fellow students in Belgrade, of organizing the protests on behalf of the Croatian intelligence agency SOA. The names of the Croatian students were published without their consent in the pro-government media and, upon leaving Serbia, they were given alcoholic beverages with a note to "send their regards to SOA" by the Serbian border police. ^{[120] [121]} Croatian Prime minister Andrej Plenković described Vučić's claim as "laughable". ^[122]

On 31 December, Vučić announced the formation of a "loyalist faction" within the SNS, whose "17,000 members swore a blood oath in secrecy", who are "pro-Russian oriented" and are "a bit too extreme for [his] taste". He also revealed that his brother is among the members. ^{[123] [ unreliable source? ] [124] [125]} This statement caused a lot of debate: according to some analysts, it is directed not towards the protesters, but towards the more reluctant members of SNS, ^[126] whereas others expressed doubt that Vučić can gather 17,000 loyal activists. ^[127] A group of citizens signed a petition demanding an official police investigation into the existence of "loyalists". ^[128]

Similar to the 1996–1997 Serbian protests, silent protests in Belgrade and Novi Sad were held on New Year's Eve, but this time from 11:52 pm to 00:07 am. According to some estimations, between 17,000 and 18,000 attended in Belgrade, while between 4,600 and 6,000 attended in Novi Sad. ^[129]