NOVI SAD, Serbia (AP) — Protesters threw flares and red paint at the City Hall building in Novi Sad, Serbia, on Tuesday. Collapse of concrete dome at train station He killed 14 people. The police responded with pepper gas canisters.

Protesters surrounded the building in central Novi Sad, breaking windows and throwing rocks and other objects, despite calls for calm from organizers. Special police teams were deployed inside the building.

Some of the angry mask-wearing protesters, believed to be football hooligans close to the populist government, attempted to enter the building and demand that those responsible for the canopy collapse face justice.

Serbia’s autocratic President Aleksandar Vucic He said police were “showing restraint” but also issued a warning that “horrific, violent protests continue.”

“People of Serbia, please do not think that violence is allowed,” he said on X. “Anyone who participated in the events will be punished.”

The organizers of the protest entered the hall and said that they wanted to convey their demands.

Opposition activist Miran Pogacar said: “We can repair one window, but we cannot bring back 14 lives. People are angry. Serbia will not tolerate this.”

Opposition politician Bojan Pajtic said he believed the violence and incidents were deliberately incited by provocateurs; this was a tactic previously used in Serbia to derail peaceful anti-government protests and portray opposition protesters as enemies of the nation.

Last Friday, thousands of people first marched through the city’s streets to demand that top officials, including President Vucic and Prime Minister Milos Vucevic, resign over the deadly exterior roof collapse.

Protesters first gathered outside the train station, where they observed a moment of silence for the victims while organizers read their names. The crowd responded by chanting “arrest the gang” and “thieves”.

The protest started peacefully, but some demonstrators later threw plastic bottles and bricks at the headquarters of Vucic’s ruling Serbian Progressive Party and smeared red paint on posters of the Serbian president and prime minister; This sent the message that they had blood on their hands.

Protesters removed most of the Serbian national red, blue and white national flags, which were apparently hung at the headquarters to prevent attack. This provoked an angry reaction from the president.

“Our Serbian tricolor was destroyed, hidden and removed by everyone who does not love Serbia,” Vucic wrote to X. “Tonight, in Novi Sad, this is being done by those who tell us that they love Serbia more than we do. We are honest citizens of this country.”

Critics of Serbia’s populist government blamed the disaster on rampant corruption in the Balkan country, a lack of transparency and sloppy work during renovations to the station building, which is part of a broader rail deal with Chinese state companies.

The accident happened without any warning. Security camera footage shows the massive canopy on the outer wall of the station building crashing into people sitting on benches below or walking in and out.

Authorities have promised full accountability and, facing pressure, Serbia’s construction minister tendered his resignation on Tuesday.

More than 40 people have already been questioned as part of the investigation into the incident, prosecutors said. But many in Serbia doubt that justice will be achieved with populists tightly controlling the judicial system and police.

Opposition parties behind Tuesday’s protest also said they were demanding Vucevic’s resignation and wanted documents listing all companies and individuals involved to be made public.

A 6-year-old girl was among the victims. It was learned that the conditions of those injured as a result of the roof collapse on Tuesday were serious.

The train station has been renovated twice in recent years. Officials insisted that the canopy was not part of the renovation work, suggesting that was the reason it collapsed, but did not offer an explanation as to why it was not included.

Novi Sad railway station was first built in 1964; The renovated station was opened by Vucic and his populist ally. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor OrbánAs an important stopover of the high-speed train line planned to be built between Belgrade and Budapest more than two years ago.