ZAGREB, Oct 18 (Hina) - A protest staged at about 4pm Thursday by disabled war veterans in front of the Parliament building ended peacefully and without any major incidents about two hours later. The president of the disabled
veterans' association HVIDRA, Marinko Liovic, announced the organisation would continue protest rallies disgruntled with the moved bill on the rights of Croatian veterans. Liovic described the protest which gathered about 150 participants as successful and peaceful, and added he was pleased with the turnout of protesters as well as of police which, he said, "means they got scared". Asked why the protesters were abandoning the rally although they said they would keep demonstrating until parliament speaker Zlatko Tomcic spoke to them, Liovic said they did not abandon the protest rally, but rather dispersed. He added that with the protest "in the presence of a large number of police, they have warned the
ZAGREB, Oct 18 (Hina) - A protest staged at about 4pm Thursday by
disabled war veterans in front of the Parliament building ended
peacefully and without any major incidents about two hours later.
The president of the disabled veterans' association HVIDRA,
Marinko Liovic, announced the organisation would continue protest
rallies disgruntled with the moved bill on the rights of Croatian
veterans.
Liovic described the protest which gathered about 150 participants
as successful and peaceful, and added he was pleased with the
turnout of protesters as well as of police which, he said, "means
they got scared".
Asked why the protesters were abandoning the rally although they
said they would keep demonstrating until parliament speaker Zlatko
Tomcic spoke to them, Liovic said they did not abandon the protest
rally, but rather dispersed. He added that with the protest "in the
presence of a large number of police, they have warned the
legislative authorities about what they are doing to war
veterans".
"They are taking away from us and giving to those who should
probably not receive," Liovic said, adding that the protesters had
arrived from all over Croatia.
With the cooperation of the central headquarters for the protection
of Homeland War values, HVIDRA will continue holding protest
rallies, and will, as co-organiser, participate at a rally
scheduled for Saturday in Zagreb's central square.
Asked why Tomcic's offer to receive a delegation of the invalids'
association had been refused, the HVIDRA president said Tomcic did
not have time to receive them on Wednesday when he was submitted
amendments to the final bill on the rights of war veterans. "Now
that we are protesting, he has found time to see us".
Parliament speaker Tomcic said Thursday that Ljubo Cesic Rojs
(Croatian Democratic Union) has misinformed the public by claiming
that police were physically abusing the HVIDRA protesters who
gathered in front of the parliament building causing riots.
This is incorrect. There were no conflicts or fights, Tomcic said in
the Parliament which is this afternoon discussing the final bill on
veterans' rights and those of their families.
During the discussion on the bill, Rojs asked Tomcic to receive a
HVIDRA delegation.
You must receive them, since a thousand disabled war veterans are
protesting in front of the parliament, Rojs told Tomcic, who
replied that he himself would decide about what to do, and added
that according to information he had received, there were 50
protesters, not a thousand as Rojs claimed.
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