dDH: Protests in Serbia Archive (1996-1997): SPO: News of Feb 1

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Protests in Serbia Archive
Serbian Renewal Movement: News of Feb 1

According to bishop of Timok, Justin, we found out this morning that on the night between 31st January and 1st February unidentified persons broke in the Saborna church (orthodox cathedral) and totally demolished the interior of the church. The icons were removed from iconostasis and stepped on, church furniture was broken and scattered about. There are no indications so far as to who might have done such a barbarian act unrecorded in later Serbian history.

The monastery of Decani, 38322 Decani, Serbia

Advice for the bisinessman Kundak

Belgrade, 1st February - The Coalition ZAJEDNO expresses great satisfaction that Zoran Todorovic Kundak was the one who imported a million whistles that have been sold on the streets of Belgrade. In that way he could have easily counted the number of people that participated in the protests, also adding those who are coming to the protests with the lids, trumpets and other instruments that produce noise.

The money earned in this way, the Yugoslav United Left can take as a severance pay or a good buy present. To the citizens who had used these whistles this fact will be just another proof that the iniquity of the YUL personnel has no boundaries.

We suggest to Kundak and his business associates to import, as soon as possible, hundreds of prison uniforms, for they will need them very soon.

Coalition "ZAJEDNO"
Information Service

LATEST NEWS FROM SERBIA 1st February, 1997

Seventy third day of the protest in Serbia

The journalists estimate that there was over 60 000 people at the protest meeting in the center of Belgrade last night. In many parts of town the police cordons stood trying to stop the citizens from coming to the center of the city. During the walk to the town several minor incidents with the police happened. In one of the incidents Zoran Spalajkovic, cameraman and associate of the Serbian Renewal Movement, was hit on the head with a stick.

The police cordons also stood in Kolarceva street and prevented the walk to continue in the center of the city.

Vuk Draskovic, in his speech to the gathered people, quoted the lines of Mirjana Markovic written for the magazine "Duga" in which she called him "bearded,with a messy hair, semi-hysterical monster". Draskovic, regarding the statement of Mirjana Markovic in which she said that it is all a matter of "only 3,5% controversial votes", told to the Left wing to acknowledge those 3,5% of the votes and then many problems will be solved. "Give back what you stole", he said, "so the agony in Serbia can stop".

Lawyers of Belgrade went on strike

Yesterday the Bar of Belgrade went on strike until the following conditions are fulfilled: acceptance of the election results of 17th November, 1996, resignation of the minister of justice, Arandjel Markicevic, and resignation of the minister of the police, Zoran Sokolovic.

The protest gathering started in front of the Hall of justice, from where more than a thousand lawyers started off a walk to the Ministry of justice, and continued from there to the Faculty of philosophy where they joined the students protest.

The lawyers said that they decided to protest in this way because their previous warnings were not accepted, in which they have been pointing out the problems in administration of justice and the need of revision of the legal system.

Borisav Jovic in London "Guardian"

Former high official of the Serbian Socialist Party, Borisav Jovic, in his interview for the London "Guardian", warned Slobodan Milosevic that the ruling party will turn against him unless he accepts the defeat at the local elections in November and reduces political influence of his wife. In the interview, Jovic also says: "I don't believe that Milosevic is mentally able to understand that he was wrong and to correct his mistake. If somebody thinks that he can do what he wants in spite of working against the interest of his party, against the Constitution and the laws of the country, then the situation is very serious." He estimated that "the longer the crisis lasts, the more endangered is the authority of the president of Serbia ".

UR of Yugoslavia denied visas for the guests from France

The authorities in Yugoslavia did not issue visas to three respectful public individuals from France, who were supposed to speak at the Center for the cultural decontamination within the freedom of the media series.