BELGRADE, DEMONSTRATIONS GO ON BELGRADE, March 18 (Hina) - Thirty-three police officers, dozens of protesters and five reporters sustained injuries in riots in Belgrade late on Wednesday night, Radio B92 reported on Thursday.
BELGRADE, March 18 (Hina) - Thirty-three police officers, dozens of
protesters and five reporters sustained injuries in riots in Belgrade
late on Wednesday night, Radio B92 reported on Thursday.#L#
Violent protests began on Wednesday evening when taxi drivers and
several hundred citizens gathered in front of the foreign ministry of
Serbia-Montenegro and the government of Serbia in downtown Belgrade.
Later in the night, a group of violent soccer fans demolished the
Bajrakli mosque and set fire to nearby buildings and parked cars.
After that they tried to demolish the US Embassy, but were scattered
by police who used teargas and stun grenades.
The riots ended at about 04.00 am Thursday and Serbian Interior
Minister Dragan Jocic told the Beta news agency that the police would
no longer tolerate violence.
Violence also erupted in the city of Nis where protesters set fire to
the local mosque, in Novi Sad, where they smashed the windows of the
Islamic Centre building and tore down a flag of the province of
Vojvodina from the building of the province's government. The police
prevented protesters from going into the part of Novi Sad where
Vojvodina Parliament President Nenad Canak lives. The protesters
shouted "Canak Ustasha!".
Peaceful protest rallies were held this morning in the towns of
Jagodina, Leskovac, Bor and Cacak.
According to the latest reports of the UN mission in Kosovo (UNMIK),
Wednesday's protests in Kosovo claimed the lives of 22 persons, and
over 500 were injured.
This afternoon citizens resumed demonstrations in front of the
government building in Belgrade, protesting against the latest events
in Kosovo. Several protesters resorted again to violence.
A group consisting of some 200 high school students, that hurled
stones at the Croatian and German embassies in Belgrade earlier today,
later headed towards the residential area of Dedinje, but were stopped
in the Bulevar Mira street by a large number of police officers. On
their way, the protesters burnt containers, and some 100 riot police
used teargas to stop them.
The staff at the Croatian consulate in Dedinje as well as the staff of
the Croatian embassy were evacuated.
According to the local electronic media, some 30 high school students
were arrested, but it is still unknown whether they planned to attack
Albania's embassy or Croatia's consulate.
(Hina) ms sb