November 25th 2024.
Last night, the parliament of Serbia was filled with chaos as members of the ruling party and the opposition got into scuffles and fistfights. This comes weeks after a tragic incident at a railway station in Novi Sad, where 15 people lost their lives due to a roof collapse. The tension between the two sides has been brewing since then.
The opposition was determined to discuss the matter of who should be held accountable for the deadly crash, while the governing officials, who hold a majority in the parliament, were focused on passing a bill for next year's state budget. As a symbol of their frustration, the opposition displayed a banner with a red handprint that read "blood is on your hands". In response, the ruling party put up a banner accusing the opposition of wanting "war while Serbia wants to work".
The situation escalated when the two sides tried to snatch each other's banners, leading to scuffles and fistfights. The railway station in question had recently undergone renovations as part of a partnership between Serbia and China. However, there have been allegations of corruption, inadequate oversight, and shoddy construction work that may have contributed to the tragedy. This has sparked anger towards the government and has become a focal point for the people's dissatisfaction with the authoritarian rule in Serbia.
There is a growing demand for transparency in the country, especially when it comes to large infrastructure projects that are often carried out with the help of Chinese state companies. In another incident that has caused public outrage, a tourist yacht sank due to high waves, leaving 17 people missing.
The president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, took to Instagram to condemn the opposition's behavior, calling it "daily bullying" and "savage behavior". He assured the citizens that the government will not tolerate such actions and will respond with even more dedication towards their work. He also accused the opposition of trying to disrupt the lives of the people by preventing pensioners from receiving their increased pensions and public sector employees from receiving their increased salaries.
Opposition leader Dragan Djilas accused the parliament speaker, Ana Brnabic, of shutting down the parliament by refusing to allow a debate on the responsibility for the tragedy. He claimed that the speaker had been avoiding important discussions, including a request from over 80 opposition members for a debate on the government's performance and the crime rate in Novi Sad.
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