Deadly station collapse sparks anger against government, sparking rows in Serbian parliament

BELGRADE – Fights and brawls broke out in the Serbian parliament between the ruling party and opposition MPs on Monday, after weeks of fighting. deadly train station roof collapse This situation sparked tensions in the Balkan state.

While the opposition wanted to debate who was responsible for the accident that killed 15 people in the northern city of Novi Sad on November 1, government officials with a majority in the Serbian parliament tried to pass a bill on next year’s state budget.

The opposition held up a red hand-printed banner that read: “There is blood on your hands.” The ruling party responded with a banner accusing the opposition of “wanting war while Serbia wants to work.”

A fight broke out when the two sides tried to take each other’s banners.

The railway station, an important hub, was recently renovated as part of the Serbian-Chinese partnership. Critics claim corruption, poor oversight and inadequate construction contributed to the situation tragedy.

Collapse has become widespread Anger and protests against the governmentIt has become a flashpoint for broader dissatisfaction with Serbia’s authoritarian rule. As the country undertakes major infrastructure projects, often with Chinese state companies, public demands for transparency are also growing.

Serbian parliament speaker Ana Brnabic accused the opposition on Monday of wanting to come to power by force with outside help.

“There is not the slightest hint or suspicion that these are well-organized, highly trained, well-paid people who are out to create chaos in Serbia and destabilize our country,” he said.

Serbia’s autocratic President Aleksandar Vucic said on Instagram that “daily bullying” and “brutal behavior” by the opposition would not be tolerated.

“I want to reassure citizens and say that we will respond to their rudeness, rudeness and arrogance with more work in the future.” their salaries increased. “They will not be successful.”

Opposition leader Dragan Djilas said the speaker had “shut down” parliament by not allowing a debate on who was responsible for the tragedy.

“It started with this, when more than 80 opposition members refused to put on the agenda the request for a discussion on trust in the government, because of the murder and crime in Novi Sad,” Djilas said.