Several thousand people gathered in Ljubljana on Saturday to show their support for students in Serbia and demand that Mayor Zoran Jankovic publicly apologize for his support of the Serbian government.

The rally, called „Ljubljana Rises,“ began at 11:52 in front of the Serbian Embassy with a moment of silence in remembrance of the 15 victims who died in the collapse of the canopy at the Novi Sad Railway Station on November 1.

The protesters then marched to the Ljubljana City Hall, where the organizers presented four demands.

The first demand was for a public apology from the mayor to the students in Serbia, as well as to the citizens and students in Ljubljana.

The second demand was that Jankovic publicly express support for Serbian students who have been blocking faculties for months in protest against the functioning of institutions.

The third demand was for Jankovic to refrain from calling for elections in Serbia until all student demands are met.

The final, fourth demand was addressed to all members of the City Assembly, asking them to publicly state their positions on the protests in Serbia.

In recent days, Jankovic had repeatedly expressed his support for Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and even sent him an official letter of support.

In front of the City Hall, 15 chairs were placed in memory of those who died in Novi Sad.

It was announced that if the demands are not met within a week, pressure on the city authorities will increase.

The protest took place on „Preseren Day,“ a national holiday celebrating culture in Slovenia.

The Slovenian Association of Dramatic Artists organized poetry readings across the country, and when the protest march passed Preseren Square, the program was briefly interrupted in support of the student demands. The rally lasted for about an hour and was attended by police.

„I am here today to support the students who are fighting in Serbia. I was a student in Serbia, came to Slovenia, and enrolled in a master’s program at the Faculty of Sports. I feel a moral obligation to support the students and tell them not to give up,“ said a young man in the protest march, speaking to N1.

According to him, the mayor of a European city should not publicly support a „suspicious“ figure like Aleksandar Vucic.

„We are here to show that this is not right, and he should not support Vucic because of all the crimes committed in Serbia,“ he said.

The protesters set up 15 chairs in front of the Ljubljana City Hall to represent the 15 victims of the canopy collapse in Novi Sad. Two of the chairs had dolls placed on them, as two young girls also lost their lives in the accident.