Secondary schools initiate protests accross Serbia

BELGRADE, Friday - Students of the Belgrade Secondary School of Philology left their classes in protest against the election fraud. Students left their schools, joined shortly afterwards by some of the professors, Beta learnt. Professors of the Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy warned they would go on strike if the election victory of Vojislav Kostunica was not urgently recognised. Students of the Belgrade secondary school of Law left their building and set off towards the Republika Square in downtown Belgrade.

Around 5,000 students of the Nis secondary schools left their classrooms in protest against the election machinations and gathered in the central city square, where they were playing music, dancing and reading messages from the stage. Students were joined by the professors, some of which addressed the present. Traffic in downtown Nis was blocked, and the students called on the Nis Municipal Assembly representatives to address them. Several hundred workers of the Nis Clinic Centre joined the protest.

Professors and students of the morning shift in the First Kragujevac Secondary School went on strike. History professor Nenad Djordjevic told Beta that in the first school shift only three professors did not sign the strike statement.

Several hundred Cutting Tool Factory workers and students of all secondary and some of the primary schools in Cacak gathered around noon in the central city square for the protest rally called on by the DOS. Lawyer chamber in Cacak on Friday morning joined the strike, as well as the lawyer chambers in u Uzice, Gornji Milanovac, Arilje, Guca, Pozega, Krusevac, Trstenik, Valjevo, Vrnjacka Banja and Raska. Workers and students would be joined by Cacak private shop owners, who announced closing of their shops for 2 p.m.

Students of the Valjevo secondary schools on Friday morning seized the central city intersection. Previously, joined by workers of the Valjevo firms, they marched the city strees chanting slogans. Owners of private vehicles have blocked all the city intersections and the whole city was in a standstill, B2-92 learnt.

B2-92 learnt that around 10,000 citizens of Kraljevo gathered in the central city square, for the DOS protest rally. All secondary schools in Kraljevo ceased work and the students joined the rally in the square. Local trade company "Gvozdjar" has joined the strike as well. The rally was attended by a dozen postmen in uniforms. Several directors of local public companies were seen in the crowd.

Students of the three secondary schools in Gornji Milanovac have left their classrooms on Friday morning, saying they would not return to them until the presidential election results were recognised. Protest was supported by the majority of teachers.

Students and professors of some of the secondary schools in Sremski Karlovci on Friday morning left their classrooms.

Students of all secondary schools in Sremska Mitrovica left their schools and gathered downtown. Students of the Medical School were locked inside the building and not allowed to leave it, but the classes were obstructed because the students were striking in the halls. Business School was also locked, but the students left it by jumping out the windows.

Students of several secondary schools in Jagodina joined the protest.

Several thousand students of the Kraljevo secondary schools, headed by Otpor activists, were marching the city streets, demanding recognition of the election victory. Around 450 workers of the tyre factory "Trayal" went on hunger strike. They issued a proclamation calling on all workers to general strike.

Source: B92

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