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The tragedy has been attributed to corruption and substandard construction practices by the populist Serbian leadership, leading to a widespread public outcry and .

Students from various Belgrade universities have organized the protest under the slogan “There is No New Year — You Still Owe Us for the Old One.�

The loud crowd, at 11:52 p.m. with 15 minutes to honor the victims of the Novi Sad tragedy. Many were holding banners with a red handprint, which has become a symbol of the antigovernment protests, telling the authorities that they have blood on their hands.

Earlier, they marched past a state-sponsored concert where the crowd danced to folk music tunes. Police guarded the area where the concert was taking place and set up metal fences while directing the protesting crowd to other streets nearby to avoid contact between the two groups.

The antigovernment protesters emphasized that, despite the festive season, their commitment to seeking justice remains unwavering. The student-led movement has garnered support from various societal groups, including professors, farmers and actors, reflecting broader discontent with autocratic .

Thousands of people also gathered in Novi Sad and the southern city of Nis for parallel gatherings also led by university students in those cities.

In Belgrade, state-sponsored concerts and other New Year celebrations were organized in the city center and in a newly built high-rise Belgrade Waterfront neighborhood, which Vucic has claimed is his own project together with the United Arab Emirates investors.

Belgrade has become a favorite partying destination for tourist on the New Year's Eve celebrations with street partying and huge fireworks.

The crowds in Belgrade braved very cold weather and fog to join the students. The New Year's Eve protest comes just over a week after tens of thousands rallied together with the students in what was one of the biggest gatherings in recent years in the Serbian capital.

Serbia’s public prosecutor on Monday , over the . The protesters say that is not enough as the indictment does not include charges of possible corrupt deals during a renovation of the the Novi Sad train station that was part of a wider deal with Chinese companies.

Vucic earlier told pro-government Prva TV that all student demands have been fulfilled.

“I have always been ready to talk, I am asking them now but they won’t talk to me, they have no arguments, the prosecutors fulfilled the last of their demands, all documents they wanted have been published and nothing happened,� Vucic said, adding he won't be toppled by street protests.

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Associated Press writer Jovana Gec contributed to this report.