Serbia: Under The Canopy

From The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

May 5, 2026 · 24 min

About this episode

The episode explores the aftermath of a tragic accident in Serbia that led to mass protests against the government.

Eighteen months ago, the renovation of the railway station in Serbia’s second biggest city, Novi Sad, led to a tragic accident. A substantial concrete canopy, which ran across the front of the station building, suddenly collapsed, killing sixteen people. The disaster sparked mass protests. Marchers demanded justice for the dead and injured. As the protests spread, to the capital, Belgrade, and to towns and cities across the country, the demands evolved. Protesters accused the government of corruption and of covering up the truth about what happened. The government accused the protesters of being foreign agents, supported and organised by malign outside forces. Now, after more than a year, the mass protests have finally subsided. Jill McGivering is in Serbia to find out what’s happened to that explosion of anti-government anger. This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.

People in this episode

Host: Jill McGivering

Topics covered

government corruption
protests
public safety
accidents
social justice

Keywords

Serbia
Novi Sad
Belgrade
protests
government corruption
canopy collapse
social justice
Jill McGivering

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Serbia, Novi Sad, Belgrade