Serbia: Under The Canopy

The Documentary Podcast

BBC

Society & Culture, Documentary

4.3 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 5 May 2026

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

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.

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, Music, radio, podcasts.
0:07.0	Shall we get cracking?
0:08.7	You've got a BBC podcast coming up.
0:10.8	These were immensely popular.
0:13.0	But if you also like looking back,
0:14.7	then the BBC has loads of history podcasts to offer.
0:17.6	Proof that being a historian is a very exciting job.
0:19.7	Covering everything.
0:20.7	From epic events.
0:21.7	It was the year 1666.
0:23.8	Two personal stories.
0:25.0	It was an anxiety that people felt even in the ancient world.
0:27.9	So in future, for more history podcasts,
0:30.4	free people making a free choice about what they wanted.
0:34.3	Search History on BBC Sounds.
0:38.1	You're listening to The Documentary from the BBC World Service.
0:42.6	I'm Jill McGivering in Serbia.
0:46.5	I remember the 1st of November and I think that that day will always be in my memory for a few things.
0:54.0	I actually bought a train ticket that was for 12th.
0:58.5	The roof collapsed at 11, 52.
1:02.0	I remember standing in the door and I was like, no, I will go later to the Belgrade.
1:07.8	I remember putting my suitcase, grabbing coffee and my phone started ringing. And I clearly
	...

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