Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has conceded to protesters and promised open dialogue and anti-corruption reforms. The action comes after hundreds of thousands gathered in Belgrade to protest a deadly accident at a train station last year. It was the largest public demonstration in Serbia in 25 years.
“All people in the government have to understand the message when this many people gather,” Vučić said in a press conference on Saturday, March 16th, adding:
We will have to change ourselves.
Government authorities estimated that around slightly over 100,000 people took part in the demonstration, but informal estimates put the number closer to 300,000.
The demonstration remained largely peaceful, save for a few protesters who attacked the police and the parliament building with bottles and fireworks. Including police, 56 people were lightly injured, and 22 people were arrested for assault and property damage.
The last time Serbia saw protests of this scale was in 2000, which successfully ousted former president Slobodan Milošević who led the country through both Yugoslav wars.
🇷🇸 More footage from Saturday's protests in Belgrade, Serbia. An absolutely historic number of attendees. pic.twitter.com/2yxTTQlHgy
— DD Geopolitics (@DD_Geopolitics) March 16, 2025
This time, however, the government’s resignation is not officially part of the demands, although Vučić had warned that foreign-funded NGOs are trying to hijack the movement and turn it into an effort to bring down the government.
The months-long series of protests began as a response to the deadly canopy collapse at the Novi Sad train station last year, which killed 15. The collapse is generally attributed to the building’s rushed renovation which was outsourced to a Chinese company by corrupt officials.
Thirteen individuals, including former construction minister Goran Vesić, were formally indicted over the accident back in December.
Although justice for victims was the primary goal, these indictments were not enough to stifle the student-led protests, which continued to demand wider government reforms for more transparency and accountability—as well as a 20% increase in the higher education budget.
Since then, Vučić has raised the education budget, disclosed the documents related to the renovation and the accident, and overseen a government reshuffle after five additional high-level officials resigned, including two ministers and Prime Minister Miloš Vučević.
What might complicate the reconciliation are the claims that riot police allegedly used an LRAD sound cannon on the protesters, a crowd control device that can cause hearing loss, vertigo, and disorientation.
There are countless videos online showing how the crowd scattered when the sound cannon supposedly went off, but Vučić insists that neither the police nor the military is in possession of any such device. To show its cooperation, the government promised it would release all police documents from that night, as well as launch an official investigation into the origin of the sound that prompted the panic.
Many remain unconvinced, however. An online petition calling for an international investigation into the incident was signed by over half a million people by Monday, March 15, meaning that whatever the government probe will uncover is unlikely to be accepted by the people.
⚠️ Serbian Police used a Sound Cannon during the 15 minutes of Silence to disperse the massive crowds 😳
— Culture War Report (@CultureWar2020) March 16, 2025
⚠️ LRAD is an acoustic Weapon that shoots a Beam of Sound up to 160 dB. This can be louder than a jet engine and can shatter ear drums
⚠️ LRAD = Long Range Acoustic Device.… pic.twitter.com/bQ1XmKs3qL
