Mother of Novi Sad victim on third Day of hunger strike near serbian parliament

Dijana Hrka, whose son died in the Novi Sad accident, is on the third day of a hunger strike on Tuesday near the building of the Serbian Parliament in the centre of Belgrade.

She is demanding accountability for the death of her child and 15 other people in the collapse of the reconstructed canopy of the Railway Station.

Citizens gathered in large numbers near the Parliament in the evening hours to support Dijana Hrka.

She points out that a year after the accident in Novi Sad, which also triggered a wave of mass anti-government protests in Serbia, no one has been held accountable.

“There are a lot of emotions. A little sadness, a little emotion, but it’s okay. When I know for a year that no one has been convicted for the murder of my child, it is murder. It is the system, it is corruption. Since no one has been convicted, no one has been brought in, and many people have not been questioned, what else can I do? Sit with my hands crossed and wait for them to cover it up,” Hrka told Radio Free Europe (RFE).

A fence and police cordons separate her from the tent settlement of government supporters, who are responding to Dijana Hrka’s strike with loud music and attacks on the anti-government demonstrators supporting her.

“The fact that they are playing some songs that insult me doesn’t matter. I will endure, they will not break me psychologically. I am telling them that I will not give up because everyone must be held accountable for their actions,” Hrka emphasised.

During Dijana Hrka’s third day of hunger strike, November 4, citizens and students came in front of the Serbian Parliament to offer their support.

“I am very glad to see that such a large number of people are coming, and despite literally everything that could happen, that they are here with her,” said Sergej from Belgrade.

“It is terrible that no one was found responsible and that no one has been punished,” added Esma.

Živan from Belgrade said that he sympathises “with all his heart and soul” with the mother who is demanding accountability for her son’s death through a hunger strike.

“As citizens, we are desperate, we are seeking support from all sides,” he added.

Government representatives, led by the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, called on Hrka to end her hunger strike.

Vučić, at the same time, called the tent settlement of government supporters a “symbol of freedom” and accused the demonstrators supporting Hrka of “attacking” that camp.

“They [government representatives] surely dare not look me in the eye. What they are saying to me through the media means nothing to me; I didn’t even know about it. And if they did come [here], we could only talk in front of these people, and no other way,” Dijana Hrka responded to RFE.

Opposition representatives also offered their support to Hrka, visiting her ahead of today’s parliamentary session.

Hrka stated that she is grateful to the opposition MPs, but that she is alone in this fight.

“I don’t trust anyone, no one has been here for a year, I was alone, and I started this fight alone. I am neither the government nor the opposition. You all had the opportunity to stand by me this past year; no one was there. Thank you, you can convey these three demands of mine,” she told them.

During the session, they conveyed her demands to the authorities.

Opposition conveyed Hrka’s demands in Parliament

Pavle Grbović, an MP from the opposition Movement of Free Citizens (PSG), stated that Hrka is on a hunger strike “because the corruption in which the government participated killed her child.”

“There are three demands: that all those who are truly responsible be prosecuted, and not be politically protected; that all students and all other political prisoners be released from detention; and the third demand is for elections to be called,” Grbović conveyed.

“My question is whether you visited this woman. Did you approach her and at least promise her that her demands would be met,” Grbović asked.

He also asked the Minister of Internal Affairs, Ivica Dačić, why the police did not react to the provocations directed at Dijana Hrka from the tent settlement in front of the Parliament. .

He also pointed out that the government has “turned everything into a circus,” reminding that Uglješa Mrdić, an MP from the ruling coalition, is also on a hunger strike in front of the parliament.

“In one place, a mother is striking, in another place, a party soldier is striking. The mother is seeking justice for her dead child, the party soldier is seeking a chance to advance in the party hierarchy,” Grbović assessed.

Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabić responded that Mrdić is fighting for “justice” and accountability for the collapse of the canopy through his strike.

“All those who want and seek justice should support Uglješa Mrdić, and not politicise this whole situation once again and misuse the tragedy and the victims to gain some cheap, meaningless political points,” she added.

Marinika Tepić, an MP from the opposition Freedom and Justice Party (SSP), asked all members of the Government, the President of Serbia, and the Speaker of the Parliament: “Are you normal?”

According to her, Dijana Hrka is seeking justice.

“And you monsters are mocking her here minute by minute,” Tepić said.

“Where is the empathy here, where is the accountability? You’ll soon start turning an ox on a spit in this paramilitary lair you’ve created in front of the Parliament,” Tepić said.

Dijana Hrka announced her hunger strike on November 1 at a commemorative gathering on the anniversary of the death of 16 people in Novi Sad.

The police did not allow her to start the strike in front of the Serbian Parliament building the next day, where the tents of government supporters are located.

The same evening was marked by incidents when strong police forces separated government supporters and opponents who had come to support Hrka.

The police then announced that 37 demonstrators had been detained, accusing them of disturbing public order and peace and causing incidents.

On the other hand, the demonstrators, led by the blocked students, accused the police of failing to react and of selective arrests—that is, that they did not detain government supporters, whom they claim caused the incidents.

Protests in support of Dijana Hrka are being organised in several cities in Serbia.

Sixteen people died and one was seriously injured in the collapse of the canopy at the Novi Sad Railway Station.

The accident happened just four months after the station building was officially opened following a three-year reconstruction.

The death of 16 people led to mass anti-government protests, led by students, as well as months-long blockades of universities and schools.

In the meantime, the demonstrators have added the calling of early parliamentary elections to their demands.

Despite indictments and an investigation against former state officials, trials for the accident have not yet begun./RSE/