News for November 30th, 1996

As in previous days students continued their protest by walking along the city streets (Belgrade). At the beginning many celebrities and University lecturers spoke to the students on the Plato in front of the Faculty of Philosophy. On the end of the protest walk, students stood one minute in silence turning their back to the buildings of the Electoral Committee and "Borba" (a daily newspaper), once more confirming what they think about the elections and about media machinations of the regime. Except the fact that a huge glass ashtray was thrown from the fifth floor of the building of "Vecernje Novosti", luckily not injuring anybody, there were no other incidents.

Chancellor of Belgrade University of Arts, Darinka Matic-Marovic, gave a statement, asking the students not to make her state her political opinion towards the protest, but she said that the students have the right to express their own attitudes. The students of this University want all theatres, galleries and concerts to stop working, as a sign of protest against the election machinations of the regime. They announced that no theatre performences will be held.

Massive demonstrations of students and citizens who have been demanding the recognition of the electoral and political will of the people for more than 10 days now, were held today in Belgrade once again.

Some 150,000 to 200,000 citizens of Belgrade started a protest walk through the streets of the city first, and at the end attended a meeting on the Terazije St.,in front of the headquarters of the Democratic Party, where the heads of the parties of the "Zajedno" coalition gave their speeches. Vesna Pesic, the president of the Citizens' Union of Serbia, pointed out that "this is the third Serbian rebellion" and asked the regime not to use violence against "the peaceful demonstrations of the citizens' will". Zoran Djindjic, the president of the Democratic Party, pointed out that these protests are not about the representatives' terms only, but about the future of Serbia as a country "of law, democracy, economy and better life, a country whose citizens do not want to emigrate". Vuk Draskovic, the president of the Serbian Renewal Movement, expressed his conviction that the changes, announced by these November protests, are more and more of those who are taking the side of the people, democracy and nonviolence", he said.

The protests are continuing in other bigger towns of Serbia as well. Some 20,000 citizens protested, in the center of Nis. About 15,000 citizens protested in front of the building of RTS (Serbian National Radio-Television Network) in Kraljevo during the evening. A gathering was also organized in Cacak , where about 7,000 citizens gave their support to the local independent radio "Ozon". After the the inspection prohibited the broadcasting of its program, the "Ozon" continued informing the public in this part of the Republic about the events in Belgrade and Serbia. Protests were also held in Kragujevac and Pirot. The opposition of Montenegrin coalition "Narodna Sloga", announced that a protest will begin in this Republic as well.

The Serbs from New York, Cleveland and Chicago announced demonstrations in New York in front of the building of the UN, and in Washington in front of the Yugoslav Embassy, as a sign of support to their compatriots in Serbia.

The disrupting of radio transmission of the Belgrade Radio B92 continues today. The strongest disruptions take place during the news-programs, and during live reports from the streets of Belgrade.

Today the journalists of "Blic" printed a special issue within the "Demokratija" newspaper for the second time. The issue was being sold in the streets of Belgrade by the paperboys, and was practicaly the only independent newspaper printed today. Manojlo Vukotic, the editor in chief of "Blic", announced that anagreement has been reached with the German owner of this newspaper, so that publishing of the newspaper with free editorial same as that in the past can continue. The representative of the newspaper's owner. Peter Kelbel, on the other hand, said that the journalists who were publishing those special issues would be fired.

The "Zajedno" coalition announced that it will press charges against those members of electoral committees and judges who took part in "changing of the electoral results" and of the will of the citizens of Serbia.

New York Times pointed Zoran Djindjic as the politician of the future in SR Yugoslavia in a today's article. They presented him as a "young. pleasant" politician, unlike the "slow, hostile" Milosevic.

Some ten representatives of the German Bundestag, headed by Hans Kosnik, the former administrator of the EU for Mostar, gave their support to the demonstrators in Serbia who are struggling, for their political and citizens' rights.

Today's whistling at the sound of the name of the President of Serbia lasted for 20 minutes.

The protests have been scheduled for tomorrow, too.

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