from Svetlana Djuric lanadj@sezampro.yu
Date: Wed, 29 Sep 1999 23:06:36 +0100
Earlier events at the bottom of the message - latest on top
22:55 CET (GMT+2) - People in Balkanska and Narodnog fronta heavily beaten -- People who were in Balkanska and Narodnog fronta street (downhill from Srpskih vladara and Terazije street, uphill from railway station) were beaten the most. One of the demonstrants told us that police was most brutal there and chased the people to beat them. This is so alike 1996 and 1997 when the police used to ambush people when they were returning from the rallies.
22:51 CET (GMT+2) - Democratic Party claims 60 injured -- Democratic Party (DS) claims that sixty people have been beaten tonight in a brutal police intervention. The real number will never be known because most (and I mean most) of the injured refuse help of doctors because they are afriad of being reported to the police and persecuted. This method was used before to scare the people, but didn't work.
22:46 CET (GMT+2) - Professor Peric beaten -- This is an unfortunate incident because I know professor Peric personally and he is a quiet man, not the least violent. Obviously the police didn't care who they beat.
22:44 CET (GMT+2) - Another professor beaten -- Radio Index just interviewed professor Milicevic who was beaten in the streets and he said that another professor, Miljenko Peric, professor of Quantum chmistry on Faculty of Physical chemistry of Belgrade University, was also beaten.
22:38 CET (GMT+2) - Our special report -- Our special report will be posted very soon on our protest page!
22:37 CET (GMT+2) - Rally is over -- The rally is over, the next one will be at 20:00 CET tomorrow.
22:36 CET (GMT+2) - Leaders lead the crowd -- Due to the specific route of tonights walk the leaders of Alliance for Change were in the front, behind the flags. They proved to be right. there are no news about any of them being beating but I guess that police tried to avoid this.
22:34 CET (GMT+2) - Leaders speaking on Republic square -- The leaders of Alliance for Change are speaking now on the Republic square. Milan St. Protic is speaking now, it is not hard what is he speaking about, just like Zoran Djindjic and Vuk Obradovic before him.
22:30 CET (GMT+2) - Police vehicles blocked streets -- Police vehicles paralised the city. The streets are practically closed. There are more than one hundred buses and many other vehicles parked in the city centre. This can lead to only one thing.
22:26 CET (GMT+2) - Studio B coverage -- Television Studio B just broadcasted a picture of a man with blooded head. They announced complete report for later. If you can, watch Studio B, listen to Radio Index and surf on FreeSerbia.
22:20 CET (GMT+2) - Tanks on the streets? -- We have unconfirmed information from one of the demonstrants that behind the battle vehicles were tanks. It seems that police was more than prepared to prevent the protest walk, at ANY cost.
22:15 CET (GMT+2) - Rocks thrown at the protest walk -- FreeSerbia reports that rocks were thrown at the protest walk in Kneza Milosa street from rstate buildings: Trade Court on the corner of Masarikova and Kneza Milosa street.
22:13 CET (GMT+2) - The rally started -- The rally on the Republic square started just minutes ago. Zoran Djindjic is speaking.
22:12 CET (GMT+2) - Police from Kosovo used in intervention -- One person told us that policemen from Kosovo participated in this brutal police action.
22:11 CET (GMT+2) - All our people are well -- Both our reporter and photograph are well.
22:10 CET (GMT+2) - Professor beaten -- Goran Milicevic, professor of Belgrade University was beaten, as Radio Index reported, as well as one unidentified girl. There are other unconfirmed information about numberous beatings on the streets of Belgrade. This is chaos.
22:08 CET (GMT+2) - Republic square full -- Republic square is filled with people who fled in front of the police.
22:06 CET (GMT+2) - Our reporter is well -- We just got news that one of our reporters who reported from the scene is well.
22:05 CET (GMT+2) - Police infiltration -- Our reporter said that a man in a leather jacket and his fourties pointed to the police where to strike at the crowd.
22:04 CET (GMT+2) - People arrested in Knez Miloseva -- Police is arresting everyone left in Knez Miloseva street. A cameraman got beaten and started running, a man said that "they are arresting everyone left"
22:01 CET (GMT+2) - Police is taking over the control -- Police forces took over the control of the city centre. Our reporter said that about 50 empty police buses are in the area of Knez Miloseva and Nemanjina street. There is not many regular police officers, most of them are wearing plain clothes (wearing leather jackets, that is).
21:56 CET (GMT+2) - Four police cars moved through Pasterova -- Four polica cars and one empty bus moved through Pasterova street.
21:55 CET (GMT+2) - People are moving to Republic square -- About a thousand people are moving to republic square.
21:51 CET (GMT+2) - Radio Index heavily jammed -- Radio Index, only station with a full coverage of tonights rally, is being heavily jammed.
21:46 CET (GMT+2) - People are scattering -- People are starting to scatter in the streets after police intervention. Police in Nemanjina street beat few people.
21:43 CET (GMT+2) - Police is chasing the people -- The people retreating to the railway station were chased down Nemanjina street by the police, but the police stopped now.
21:42 CET (GMT+2) - Police started intervention on Belgrade streets -- Police started to intervention to break up demonstrations
21:41 CET (GMT+2) - People are retreating up Knez Miloseva -- People in the Knez Miloseva street are retreating towards Srpskih vladara street. The police is pushing them. The crowd is split in two - one part is retreating towards railway station and the other remained in Knez Miloseva and retreating towards Srpskih vladara street.
21:39 CET (GMT+2) - Police intervention! -- Police intervention started. They are pushing the crowd toward the main railway station. People are running down Nemanjina street towards the station.
21:37 CET (GMT+2) - Police surrounding the crowd -- Police forces moved down Nemanjina from Slavija square, surrounding the crowd. This is not good.
21:33 CET (GMT+2) - New police forces -- Radio Index reported that they got an unconfirmed information that another group of police is in Kralja Milutina street near Slavija, behind the crowd. It seems that police is cuuting off all the possible routes for escape.
21:31 CET (GMT+2) - Four battle vehicles -- Four police battle vehicles armed with water guns are currently positioned in front of the people in Knez Miloseva street.
21:29 CET (GMT+2) - Police reinforcments -- A group of heavily equiped policemen is headed down Bircaninova street. This street is above the crowd protesting aginst Milosevic. They are shouting "Slobo is Sadam (Husein)"
21:25 CET (GMT+2) - People sat in the street -- People in Knez Miloseva street sat on the ground in front of the police forces.
21:24 CET (GMT+2) - Water cannons -- Police vehicles are equiped with water cannons.
21:22 CET (GMT+2) - Stones on the demonstrants -- Someone threw stones at the people protesting in Belgrade. We have special report that strong police forces are headed to Kneza Milosa street from Swiss Embassy and another group is on Terazije, behind the demonstrants, at the McDonald's restaurant.
21:17 CET (GMT+2) - The situation is tense -- We have a very tense situation in Knez Miloseva street. It is caused by the police who moved in action before the whole of the protest walk turned to Nemanjina street. away from the police. Now the people are pretty angry and awaiting to resist the possible police intervention.
21:13 CET (GMT+2) - Police intervention? -- Police battle vehicles are headed for the demonstrants! It seems that we are looking for riots in the streets of Belgrade.
21:11 CET (GMT+2) - The protest walk stopped -- The head of protest walk stopped shortly after the turn to Nemanjina street, leaving a part of the walk in Knez Miloseva street. The police forces are still blocking the way.
21:06 CET (GMT+2) - Police blocked way of demonstrants -- Police forces have blocked way of protest walk of Alliance for Change in Knez Miloseva street, which leads to Dedinje. The route have just changed and the people turned away moving to Slavija square, away from police.
17:25 CET (GMT+2) - Today protest walk to "Forbidden City" -- As Cedomir Jovanovic, Democratic party official announced at yesterday's Alliance for Change rally in Belgrade, today protest walk will head to Dedinje, populary called "the Forbidden city". Dedinje is elite part of belgrade where Milosevic and his party officials live.