Botched Belt and Road project triggers political crisis in Serbia

Protesters blame Chinese contractors, corrupt government for fatal roof collapse

Belgrade University students block the streets for 15 minutes on Dec. 13 to honor the 15 people crushed to death by the collapsed canopy at Novi Sad railway station. © Reuters

JENS KASTNER, Contributing writer

December 19, 2024 11:24 JST

HAMBURG, Germany -- Serbian students have taken to the streets over the past six weeks to protest government corruption and opaque deals with Chinese contractors after the collapse of a railway station canopy killed 15 people.

President Aleksandar Vucic has been under pressure since the fatal accident in the northern city of Novi Sad on Nov. 1, with the populist leader's opponents blaming corruption and nepotism for sloppy renovation work that was part of a Chinese-led upgrade under Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).