Student Protest '96

December 27th, 1996

12:00 CET
(11:00 GMT)

The Plato

At the beginning of today's protest rally Cedomir Jovanovic, member of the Initiative Committee of the Student Protest 96 informed the gathered students that Branislav Ivkovic, president of the Belgrade Socialists invited the students for a talk, but that he was answered that "the students would not talk with him who has blood on his hands".

The students were addressed by Biserka Matic, a journalist of Politika who was suspended yesterday, Gordana Logar, president of the Independent Alliance of the Journalists of Serbia, Zoran Sami, professor at the School of Transportation and Dragoljub Djuricic, member of the rock band "Leb i Sol". A telegram of support from the Belgrade National Museum staff was also read.

13:00 CET
(12:00 GMT)

In spite of the police warning that traffic jams would not be tolerated, the student walk started from the Plato, with the intention of going towards the Student Cultural Center. At 13.15 two buses full of police officers unloaded in Vasina street and created a quadruple cordon in order to prevent the students from reaching the Republic Square. The students changed the direction of their walk in order to avoid the police and entered Knez Mihajlova street, only to cut off by the police. Surrounded in one street the student formed a prison circle, walking in an organized circle up and down the street with their hands on their heads. When the announcement of the decision of the OSCE delegation was given the student jumped for joy shouting "Victory, victory!!". The tenants of the building in Knez Mihajlova street greeted the students from their windows

Around 15:00, the students returned to the Plato and the party was over, but the protest continued through discussions within the schools.

mariposa


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