Serbia marks the second anniversary of a train station tragedy that fueled student protests

NOVI SAD, Serbia (AP) — A week after a student movement toppled Serbia's strongman Aleksandar Vucic in an election, thousands of students and their supporters on Sunday marked two years since a deadly train station disaster that gave birth to their anti-corruption campaign.

The demand for accountability over the Nov. 1, 2024 collapse of a concrete canopy at the station in the northern city of Novi Sad that killed 16 people launched two years of student-led protests that eventually brought about the stunning defeat of Vucic’s right-wing government at last week's parliamentary elections.

In steady rain and silence, thousands marched in Novi Sad on Sunday in a gesture of respect for the victims. Unlike a year ago, when huge crowds gathered for the first anniversary of the tragedy, participants this year said they now have hope that those responsible for the disaster will be punished.

The students brought 16 wreaths and 16 red hearts — one for each victim — outside the station building. The inscribed names of the victims included children. People cried as they laid down flowers and lit candles. A moment of silence was held.

Many in Serbia believe that the concrete canopy crashed because of flawed renovation work caused by corruption and negligence that prevailed in major state infrastructure projects championed by Vucic's government.

The station renovation was part of a bigger railway reconstruction project with China and neighboring Hungary. Vucic and his ally, former right-wing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban together toured the renewed Novi Sad station back in 2022.

“It was a murder and a murder demands accountability and justice,” a student said in a speech Sunday, promising that Serbia’s young people will build a more just society in the future. “We will not forget them (victims).”

Since the election in which the Students’ List defeated Vucic’s long-ruling Serbian Progressive Party, or SNS, last Sunday, the students have demanded a review of high-profile investigations, including the probe into the canopy collapse. Previously, 13 people had been charged, including a government minister, but no trial was held as the probe stalled.

The head of the European Union mission in Serbia, Andreas von Beckerath, wrote on X that the canopy collapse “shook Serbia to its core and moved citizens across the country to demand transparency and accountability.”

“May their memory keep inspiring a Serbia built on solidarity, public trust and rule of law," he added.

Also Sunday, prosecutors ordered a 48-hour detention of Marko Kricak, Vucic's chief of criminal police. Another senior officer was detained along with Kricak, both on suspicion of abuse of office in connection with a murder investigation.

Kricak was accused of orchestrating violence during the student protests, and of personally threatening a female student with rape, allegations that he has denied.

After it took office 14 years ago, Vucic's SNS party gradually took control of all state institutions. The students' movement has promised to restore the rule of law and democracy, and root out rampant graft that they say flourished under Vucic.

On Nov. 1, 2024, the huge concrete construction at the outer front wall of the Novi Sad station crashed without warning at 11:52 a.m., crushing people underneath as they were waiting for trains on a sunny autumn day.

Fourteen people died at the scene, and two died later. A young woman survived with life-changing injuries.

Authorities first said that the canopy had not been renovated at all, and promised an investigation. But protests started almost immediately with people blocking traffic every day across the country at the exact time of the collapse and demanding justice.

Some of the student-led rallies held in the last two years were among the biggest anti-government protests in Serbia's history.

And unlike last year when Vucic was in power, Sunday's anniversary memorial was broadcast by state RTS television, following resignations among officials at the TV station in the post-election week.

Commemoration ceremonies were also held in other cities and towns throughout Serbia.

An independent investigation by a group of experts into the canopy collapse found the renovation work had been rushed under political orders. The experts' report alleged a “systematic degradation of construction standards” and said that the "state of Serbia violated its citizens' right to life.”

People observe 16 minutes of silence in memory of the victims outside the train station in Novi Sad, Serbia, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, on the second anniversary of the canopy collapse disaster that killed 16 people. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

People observe 16 minutes of silence in memory of the victims outside the train station in Novi Sad, Serbia, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, on the second anniversary of the canopy collapse disaster that killed 16 people. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

People observe 16 minutes of silence in memory of the victims outside the train station in Novi Sad, Serbia, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, on the second anniversary of the canopy collapse disaster that killed 16 people. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

People stand next to floral tributes outside the train station in Novi Sad, Serbia, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, on the second anniversary of the canopy collapse disaster that killed 16 people. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

A rose is placed outside the train station in Novi Sad, Serbia, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, on the second anniversary of the canopy collapse disaster that killed 16 people. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

PARIS (AP) — French authorities expressed relief Sunday after mass protests over rising living costs resulted in less violence than previous weekends. But police expect new demonstrations as high schools at the heart of the movement reopen Monday after their autumn break.

Germany faced its own challenges after nationwide protests Saturday ended with rioters attacking police and looting stores in some cities. Around Europe, hundreds of thousands joined overwhelmingly peaceful marches Saturday inspired by young people, despite scattered unrest.

In Paris, rioters targeted police with Molotov cocktails at the end of Saturday’s march on the city’s eastern edge, injuring three officers and setting a car ablaze, police said. Across town, masked groups hurled fireworks at officers at a viewpoint across from the Eiffel Tower, and police charged repeatedly, sending panicked tourists fleeing the area.

Overall, however, the violence was less severe than on Oct. 17, when a city hall was torched and more than 2,000 stores were looted in hours of violence that authorities seemed unprepared to control, or during follow-up protests Oct. 24.

Police had arrested 779 people as of Saturday night, compared with 2,628 on Oct. 17 and 1,314 last weekend. Paris and Marseille police said a handful of shops were targeted but no major damage was reported.

A national police official said Sunday authorities had prepared for a larger turnout of both of peaceful marchers and troublemakers. About 70,000 police were deployed around the country.

Police are preparing for more tensions as schools reopen Monday and as student groups and labor unions call for new nationwide protests on Tuesday and Thursday, the official told The Associated Press. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to be publicly named according to police policy.

More than 100,000 mostly young people protested peacefully across Germany on Saturday, demanding that the government invest more money in education, housing, climate protection and make daily life more affordable. In some cities the protests turned violent at night.

Following a demonstration in Frankfurt, rioters attacked police downtown and looted stores. Several protesters and officers were injured and 30 people were detained. After police cordoned off an area in the city center, the situation calmed down by early Sunday morning.

“I am shocked by the violent excesses in Frankfurt, which will not go unpunished,” said Boris Rhein, the governor of Hesse, where Frankfurt is located. “Anyone who behaves like the attackers in downtown Frankfurt places themselves outside our society.''

Violence also broke out Saturday night in Cologne, where police used water cannons to disperse the crowd. In Berlin, protesters attacked police with bottles and pyrotechnics.

The organizers of Saturday’s protests, a youth initiative called “Gen Z regelt” — roughly “Gen Z’s got this" — posted a statement on Instagram distancing itself from “any form of violence, as well as violent acts by other groups or individuals” who were not part of the demonstrations.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt accused “violent left-wing groups and troublemakers from the immigrant community'' of hijacking peaceful demonstrations. “The rioters and looters will be identified and held accountable,'' Dobrindt told daily paper Bild on Sunday.

In Portugal, riot police overnight removed protesters by force from a square in Lisbon following protests for more affordable housing. Thousands of people marched through the city during the day and at the end a few hundred camped out in Rossio, an iconic square in downtown Lisbon. Police intervened early Sunday, removing tents and pushing people away, and a few were detained.

Portuguese demonstrators have been protesting for weeks following inspiration from the Spanish movement to call out rising living costs, especially housing costs.

Associated Press writers Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin and Helena Alves in Lisbon contributed to this report.

Protesters march during a demonstration against rising living costs in Paris, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Protestors carry a banner with the words "We don't have houses, the tents stay" during a demonstration to demand affordable housing, in downtown Lisbon, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Demonstrators attend a protest under the slogan "Gen Z Takes Care of It" in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

The smashed window of a jewellery is seen in Frankfurt, Germany, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, the day after a group of people went on rampage after a protest march under the slogan "Gen Z Takes Care of It" . (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

A car is on fire during protests over living costs and education in Paris, France, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)