May 15, 2000

Stop the Terror! For Free Elections

Broadcast is over.

Video clips, posted during the rally.

Speeches will be published after the rally.

Statements of the leaders will be published during the rally.

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Defense of Pozarevac   May 15, '00 Opposition Rally   April 14, '00 Behind the news

19:04 CET (GMT+2) - There are 69 photos in the photo gallery.

18:32 CET (GMT+2) - All 5 video clips are on-line. The remaining photographs we'll be published soon.

17:48 CET (GMT+2) - Audio broadcast is over. During the next several hours, we'll publish additional statements, video clips and photos. Thank you for being with us.

17:47 CET (GMT+2) - Next to address the crowd was Momcilo Trajkovic, President of the Serbian Resistance Movement in Kosovo. He talked about the hard life of Serbs in Kosovo, and added that the regime was exploiting the nations misery to prolong its stay in power. They are looking for enemies where there are none - among the youth and future of Serbia. The united opposition has a great responsibility to save Kosovo and Serbia together with the people. he said Otpor was the point in which they can all unite.

17:46 CET (GMT+2) - Civil Alliance leader Goran Svilanovic spoke next. He introduced himself as a family man with a wife and children, with neighbours. He said the citizens of this town were classified by the regime into traitors and patriots. Milosevic has to go, he has no choice, he added. Svilanovic reminded the crowd of all the lands where Serbs once lived, now devoid of their presence.

17:46 CET (GMT+2) - The live broadcast is over. Interviews from the rally will be available soon.

17:39 CET (GMT+2) - A Declaration of the united opposition was read to conclude the rally, followed by music. You can view images from the rally at our Photo Gallery and our reporters wil try to provide statements from the speakers.

17:37 CET (GMT+2) - The last speaker is Democratic Alternative President Nebojsa Covic. He said the regime claimed the oppositin were traitors, while they are looking to destroy our children and future at the same time. he said Resistance (Otpor) is all we have left to give our children a normal life in Serbia.

17:22 CET (GMT+2) - Momcilo Perisic, President of the Movement for Democratic Serbia said the opposition had its share of guilt for what was happening to Serbia. He demanded elections and a stop to terror, saying that all opposition and regime leaders were much less important than the people. He appealed to the opposition to act according to this truth.

17:13 CET (GMT+2) - Branko Ilic, Otpor representative, spoke next. He said Bosko Perosevic was murdered twice: first when he ws shot, and then when his party comrades started giving false statements about his death. He appealed for a minute of silence. He reminded the crowd of all Otpor activists sitting in prison at this moment and the judges and lawyers who refused to obey party directives.

17:09 CET (GMT+2) - Obradovic concluded that the whole of Serbia would soon be on its feet: with faith in a new Serbia, democratic and free. Resist, Resist, Resist (Otpor, Otpor, Otpor).

17:07 CET (GMT+2) - Socialdemocracy President Vuk Obradovic took the stage. He said our reality is a cruel one, and Serbia was hanging off the edge of a cliff. If the regime decides to remain deaf to opposition demands, the worst could easily happen. He added that the regime has to revoke all repressive laws and stop arrests and physical abuse of people who have a different opinion

17:02 CET (GMT+2) - The representative of the Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia,Filip Mladenovic, tried to wake up the people. He said that the regime fined many independent media in accordance with Public Information Act, but the Constitutional Court, after one and a half years, still haven't decided if this law is in accordance with the Constitution. He emphasized that the elections are the only solution.

16:59 CET (GMT+2) - Dragoljub Micunovic is next speaker. Some people have started to leave after the speeches of Vuk Draskovic and Zoran Djindjic. Micunovic said that regime has to know that we will not allow the regime to scare us. We are here today to protest the closing of a town. We are here today because you don't have enough guards to close Belgrade - you can't close all of us.

16:59 CET (GMT+2) - New Democracy President Dusan Mihailovic spoke next. He said that common sense has been pushed away by two more murders organised by the regime who followed them by assaults. We know you did it because you are scared and because you know your end is near. So, you are trying to scare us. Well, we have no fear. The future is ours.

16:55 CET (GMT+2) - Vojislav Kostunica, President of the Democratic Party of Serbia addressed the crowd next. He accused the regime of attempts to use the murder of Bosko Perosevic in Novi Sad to square it off with their adversaries. He said the regime always uses verbal and physical violence to realise its goals. Recent events are the best example, said Kostunica.

16:51 CET (GMT+2) - Korac added that Milosevic was preparing to confront his own nation and agreed with calls for prevention of civil war in Serbia which the regime is hoping to initiate. He ended his speech with: Long live democratic Serbia!

16:49 CET (GMT+2) - President of the Social Democratic Union Zarko Korac approached the mike after Ljajic. He said the regime was conducting a witch hunt adding that the President has called them fascists. He asked: are we fascists because we cannot move freely on roads in our country, because we are not taking advantage of someone's death to accuse a party that had absolutely nothing to do with his murder,...

16:44 CET (GMT+2) - President of the Alliance of Hungarians in Vojvodina Jozsef Kasza spoke next. He accused the regime of ruining our agriculture and leaving the people to starve.He said the regime brought Serbia to the verge of total ruin and finished with: for democratic Serbia.

16:40 CET (GMT+2) - Ljajic said it was not enough to demand changes. We all have to take action if we are to change anything. Great causes are worth the sacrifice, said Ljajic and added that changes will have to come peacefully and democratically.

16:33 CET (GMT+2) - If you attack our children, you attack the future of Serbia. That is the point where mere gathering stops, and something else has to be done. This is our last warning to you, warned Djindjic in his speech. He added that the difference between the regime and the opposition has never been more clear cut. The opposition offers a country open to the world market, paychecks that will provide decent life.The regime is not a political adversary anymore. They are a disease that must be cured. Djindjic concluded that the people left in the country after the regime has driven away hundreds of thousands of people away must resist the terror until final victory

16:17 CET (GMT+2) - Latest reports say 40,000 people are attending the rally in Liberty Square.

16:16 CET (GMT+2) - If they don't stop the terror and allow democratic elections, they'll get what they had coming for a long time, said Draskovic after the crowd yelled - Revolt, Revolt.

16:13 CET (GMT+2) - Our reporters say that someone threw leaflets from the Radio Index building with a fist full of dollars and the words Madlen Jugend. The pictures will soon be available at our site

16:11 CET (GMT+2) - Draskovic accused the regime of organising murders, beatings and arrests of citizens in Serbia whether they were journalists, opposition politicians, students inobedient subjects

16:08 CET (GMT+2) - Draskovic accused the communist regime of occuping Belgrade after WWII and causing the death of 200,000 people only in Belgrade. This kind of terror allowed them to win elections and take over Serbia

16:03 CET (GMT+2) - Our reporters say there is a busload of men carrying baseball bats with characteristic marine hair styles. Vuk Draskovic is addressing the crowd.

15:59 CET (GMT+2) - Coalition Vojvodina leader Dragan Veselinov has the mike. He also mentioned the Pozarevac incidents. He accused the regime of failing to arrest even one assassin and asked for the resignation of Internal Affairs Minister Vlajko Stoiljkovic

15:50 CET (GMT+2) - A helicopter is patrolling over the rally. Batic says we are struggling for survival today, for our bare lives. He accused the regime of trying to provoke a civil war, since the only we they will accept to fall is the way they came to power.

15:45 CET (GMT+2) - The rally has officially started. The first speaker is Vladan Batic who greeted the crowd with - God help us. The crowd shouted with discontent at the mention of Slobodan Milosevic's name. Batic said the regime has abolished what little civil rights that existed in Serbia and called Mirjana Markovic, Milosevic's wife, a red witch. He accused her of building a red wall around Pozarevac in her attempt to turn the town into a Serbian Tienanmen.

15:40 CET (GMT+2) - The estimated number of people attending the rally is 25,000. One of the reasons there are not as many people as last time is lack of organised transport of opposition supporters from other towns in Serbia.

15:38 CET (GMT+2) - The rally speaker is announcing opposition leaders one by one as they approach the stage. Vladan Batic will speak first.

15:36 CET (GMT+2) - Our reporters say the crowd in Libery Square is picking up in size. Kolarceva Street is full, but there are not many people coming from other directions. It is now certain that the attendance will not be as high as the last time in Belgrade.

15:31 CET (GMT+2) - Otpor repeated its appeal police forces not to fall for lynch calls coming from regime officials after the murder of Bosko Perosevic. Otpor stressed that they have always used nonviolent methods, and Federal Minister for Information Goran Matic was well aware of this fact

15:31 CET (GMT+2) - Our real audio server has reached its capacity, so we apologise to everyone who is unable to plug into our live broadcast. Keep trying.

15:23 CET (GMT+2) - Democatic Party Pesident Zoran Djindjic and Demo Christian Party leader Vladan Batic have appeared in liberty square wearing T-shirts with Otpor insignia. Their bodyguards had the same outfit.

15:12 CET (GMT+2) - The atmposphere in Liberty Square is fantastic. Our reporters say there are 15,000 people on site, while thouands are constantly pouring in from all directions. We expect a full house.

13:52 CET (GMT+2) - Our reporters have just informed us that the police controls the streets in the downtown Belgrade and searches the cars with non-Belgrade area license plates. There's still no noticeable crowd in the central square.