Скачать или смотреть SERBIA: PROTESTERS PELT PRESIDENT'S OFFICES WITH EGGS AND RED PAINT

(29 Nov 1996) Natural Sound

Thousands of protesters marched through Belgrade Friday and pelted Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic's offices with red paint and eggs.

The protesters chanted "Let's Go! All-out attack!" as they assaulted government buildings, including Milosevic's downtown office.

They vowed to continue their protests until Milosevic acknowledges an opposition victory in local elections.

On Thursday Socialists proclaimed a victory in the second round of voting, after annulling last week's opposition election.

Rather than staying indoors Friday to enjoy the national holiday away from the freezing rain outside, tens of thousands of demonstrators again piled into the streets of Belgrade.

The protesters are becoming a thorn in the side of Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic.

They say they'll keep up the demonstrations until Milosevic's Socialists reinstate victories by the opposition party in local elections.

Officials loyal to President Milosevic -- who invalidated elections on November 17th because of alleged irregularities -- claimed the Serbian leader's Socialists won.

Demonstrators have gathered every day since the annulment, raising the tempo of the protests.

The marches have raised tensions in the Yugoslav capital, but once again police did not try to restrain the protesters.

Leaders of the opposition movement have pledged to keep the protests peaceful, but they may have a hard time maintaining the momentum of 11 days of demonstrations without allowing them to turn violent.

Earlier in the week, demonstrators went on a window-smashing rampage at a newspaper and a TV station the Serbian president controls.

Friday is a holiday in Yugoslavia, the anniversary of the founding of the old Communist federation in 1943, and fewer people appeared to be on the streets early.

But the crowds appear to be growing.

About 10-thousand students were joined later by about 40-thousand opposition party supporters.

Milosevic's regime has reportedly been cracking down on media coverage of the protests.

An independent radio station went off air every time it crossed to the scene and the largest-selling independent daily newspaper -- Blic -- has come under pressure to stop reporting on the action.

The paper had given front-page coverage to the wave of demonstrations which has jammed the streets of Belgrade daily since the authorities overturned the opposition victories.

The main opposition coalition -- Zajedno (Together) -- said the pressure on the media was a sign that Milosevic intended to impose a dictatorship.

Two main opposition party leaders Vuk Draskovic of the Serbian Renewal Movement and Zoran Djindic of the Serbian Democrats have taken part daily in the demonstrations.

Friday's demonstrations follow Thursday's victory proclamations by Serbia Socialists in the second round of voting.

Far fewer people were thought to have voted than were on the street protesting.

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