Thousands mark Serbian Statehood Day with anti-corruption protest

KRAGUJEVAC, SERBIA — Thousands of Serbians blocked the main boulevard of the central city Kragujevac on Saturday, the latest in a series of months-long mass protests to rock the Balkan country after the deadly collapse of a train station roof.

Thousands of students and citizens from across the country gathered in the city's centre on the start of Serbia's national holiday to call for greater government accountability and reforms.

Protestors waved flags marked with bloody handprint, the protests' logo, as they organized performances and shouted "pump", a message indicating that they are not thinking of giving up.

The university student-led movement has put increasing pressure on Serbia's government, spurring the resignation of several high-ranking officials, including Prime Minister Milos Vucevic at the end of January.

Last November's collapse of the station roof in Novi Sad, which killed 15 people, followed extensive renovations to the building in the northern city and fueled long-standing anger over corruption and demands for accountability.

The Kragujevac blockade is the third day-long city demonstration, after Belgrade and Novi Sad a few weeks ago.

At 10:52 AM GMT, the time of the tragedy, protesters observed 15 minutes of silence to honor the victims.

The blockade is planned to last past midnight, also marking Statehood Day and the anniversary of the first Serbian Constitution in 1835, one of the most progressive in Europe at the time, with students calling on institutions to uphold constitutional principles today.