STUDENATI I PROFESSORI U AMERICKOJ POKAZAJU SOLIDARNOST SA STUDENTIMA I
PROFESSORIMA U BEOGRADU
Professors and students from Cornell University, Ithaca College, and public
schools in the city of Ithaca demonstrated their solidarity with the
movement for democracy in Serbia at a demonstration held on Friday, 6
December, in front of Willard Straight Hall, the student union building, at
Cornell University. Among the speakers: John Palmer, student chair of the
Bosnia Coordinating Committee, Prof. John Weiss, faculty chair of the
Bosnia Coordinating Committee, Prof. Wayles Browne, professor of
linguistics at Cornell and a leader of Ithaca's chapter of Amnesty
International, Amity (znaci: prijateltsvo) Weiss, student at the Dewitt
Middle School, and Sonia Knesevic, student at Ithaca High School who was
born in Serbia of Serb and Slovene parents. Other Serb, Bosnian, and
Croatian students at the university here also attended along with American
students.
Wayles Browne spoke of the appeal of Belgrade students asking for
solidarity demonstrations, to which we are replying. John Palmer also
referred tothis appeal and to recent events in Serbia. Amity Weiss read a
statement of support for democracy in Serbia from Congressman Maurice
Hinchey, who represents this district in western New York State and who
visited Bosnia last year. John Weiss gave a history of the democratic
movement and the nationalist movement in Serbia and called for the
overthrow of Milosevic. Several speakers expressed the wish to disassociate
themselves from Serb nationalists such as Djindjic and Draskovic. The
demonstration was in solidarity with the Serb students and other supporters
of democracy, NOT with Djindjic or Draskovic.
The demonstation was sponsored by the Bosnia Coordinating
Committee, a city-wide group, and the Cornell University Young Democrats.
Banners at the rally: "SOLIDARITY WITH BELGRADE STUDENTS" (na
engleskom), "SLOBU U HAG" (na latinicom), "CORNELL/ITHACA FOR FREEDOM OF
SPEECH" (na engleskom), "FOR DEMOCRACY IN SERBIA" (engleskom i cirilicom).
The deomonstration was videotaped by the local television station.
PLEASE FORWARD THIS MESSAGE TO EMAIL RECIPIENTS WHO SHOULD RECEIVE IT.
WE ALSO HAVE PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE DEMONSTRATION, WHICH WE WOULD LIKE TO FAX
TO YOU. PLEASE SEND US FAX NUMBERS OF PLACES WE CAN SENT IT.
WE ALSO KNOW OF A SIMILAR DEMONSTRATION HELD AT ST NORBERT COLLEGE.