Since November 2024, students in Serbia have united in protests catalyzed by a tragedy that occurred when a canopy collapsed at the Novi Sad train station, leading to the loss of fifteen lives. This movement, largely fueled by a desire to combat enduring corruption, has drawn in even those previously indifferent to politics. The renewed enthusiasm from family and acquaintances highlights a cultural shift, though skepticism remains due to past disappointments in political activism. The protest signals a call for deeper societal change in the face of a lengthy struggle against government malfeasance.
My brother-my apolitical, bashful, forty-two-year-old brother-was now delivering boxes of baklava to a protest.
The trigger for this wave of dissent was the collapse of a poorly constructed canopy at the Novi Sad train station-which claimed fifteen lives.
The students are fearless, my mother, seventy-one, said as we drove from the airport. My father, seventy-two, nodded in agreement.
We witnessed many protests over the years-dissent flaring up, then fading away, changing nothing, while the already depleted reserves of hope dwindled further.
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