logo
episode-header-image
May 5
27m 58s

Serbia: Under the Canopy

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode

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.

Presented by Jill McGivering Produced by Caroline Finnigan Studio mix: Neil Churchill Editor: Penny Murphy

Up next
Apr 28
Driving Against Net Zero
Is defence of the petrol car and liberated motoring becoming the new battleground for Europe’s populist parties? Chris Bowlby visits one of the homes of German car culture and a populist stronghold, Zwickau, to see how motoring is rising up the German agenda. Is Zwickau a foretas ... Show More
28m 19s
Apr 21
In Iceland's Defence
Iceland is an island of great beauty and even greater strategic importance. Its position in the Greenland Iceland UK Gap, the gateway between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, makes it crucial to Nato operations in the High North. But Iceland is one of the few nations in the world ... Show More
35m 54s
Apr 13
Pakistan: hospitals putting children at risk of HIV
Outbreaks of HIV have become regular occurrences in Pakistan. And too frequently it is the children who suffer. In the city of Taunsa, for example, children have tested positive for HIV while their parents have not. So what’s been going on? In Crossing Continents Ghazal Abbasi in ... Show More
28m 54s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2024
Crime in the Palestinian Community
In the fourth episode of the "Forty-Eight" podcast, we hosted researcher Habib Mahoul from the Mada Research Institute to discuss the phenomenon of crime within the Palestinian community in Israel. Over the past two decades, crime in this community has grown significantly, with t ... Show More
1h 1m
Oct 2024
Inside Israel
In the first of three episodes on the crisis in the Middle East, Adam Shatz is joined by Mairav Zonszein and Amjad Iraqi to discuss the experiences of Israeli Jews and Palestinian citizens of Israel. While the Netanyahu government is opposed by many Israeli Jews, and increasing n ... Show More
1h 2m
Sep 2024
42. Israel Escalates Aggression on Lebanon
<p>In the last 4 days, Israel has essentially declared war on all of Lebanon. With its mass electronic terrorist attack on Sept 17, followed by similar attacks the following down, and yesterday, Sept 20, they attacked the southern suburbs of Beirut with a bunker buster bomb. All ... Show More
37m 11s
Feb 2024
9. This Fire Will Consume You Too
<p>Israel attacks Rafah, an escalation in their genocide. Israel attacks Lebanon, an escalation in their collective punishment. The West continues to applaud, although now with some moans, an escalation in their complicity. Those murdered will not be the last. This violence, embo ... Show More
20m 20s
Oct 2024
BBC OS Conversations: My year in Gaza
On 7 October 2023, Hamas gunmen attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 more hostage. Israel responded with airstrikes and by sending troops into Gaza. The aim was to destroy Hamas’s military and governing capabilities and to secure the release of the hostages. The i ... Show More
23m 10s
Nov 2023
Life in the West Bank with Sari Bashi
It’s been over a month since Hamas' rampage in Southern Israel killed over a thousand Israeli men, women and children, and over a month of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza that has claimed 10,000 lives, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. In this episode, we’re focusing on t ... Show More
54m 44s
Sep 2024
45. The End-Game is Apocalypse
<p>It's so difficult to speak. Confirming in words what we know, but cannot believe, is happening. Lebanon, my home, has been subjected to an unfathomable aggression by Israel over the last week. Over 1600 people have been killed, thousands more injured, and approximately 1 milli ... Show More
24m 4s
Oct 2024
Jenin in the Aftermath of Israel’s Military Attacks
Amidst Israel’s catastrophic genocide unfolding in Gaza, its military is escalating a relentless campaign of aggression across the Palestinian West Bank, marked by a daily barrage of military operations. Since October 2023, Israel has killed at least 760 Palestinians, including 1 ... Show More
24m 5s
Feb 2025
Israel’s war on Gaza – what you need to know
It’s been a year since Hamas attacked Israel, and Israel launched its war on Gaza. More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed, much of Gaza has been decimated and Israel is being accused of carrying out a genocide. Sandra Gathmann explains what you need to know to understand ... Show More
14m 39s