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Protests in Serbia Archive
Coalition Zajedno on state-run media

Send by the Serbian Renewal Movement
December 21, 1996

State-run media and current events in Serbia

Ever since the post-election crisis began, the representatives of the Coalition Zajedno have been banned from the state-owned and state-controlled media, and peaceful protests of the citizens are constantly presented as acts of vandalism and destructions.

On state-run television and radio, and in their press, the motives and objectives of the protests are commented upon solely by representatives of the regime, with the complete exclusion of the Coalition Zajedno.

The demands put forward by Coalition Zajedno and by the students have never been revealed on the state-run and statecontrolled electronic media, nor have they appeared in their press.

Very early in the crisis, Dragan Tomic, Speaker of the Serbian Parliament, in a television program accused protesters of being fascists, and this has ever since been the official "stance" of Serbian authorities on the peaceful rallies of the citizens.

The leaders of the Coalition Zajedno have repeatedly been branded as "mercenaries", "spies" and "traitors", while the United States and members of the European Union have been accused of being behind the protests.

In the media, contacts of the leaders of the Coalition Zajedno with foreign diplomats based in Belgrade, and their international contacts in general, are characterized as subversive activities.

Day after day, shameless lies are being spread through electronic media about how the Coalition Zajedno urges foreign countries to impose new economic sanctions in Serbia and Montenegro, and presses for armed intervention and for turning this country into a protectorate.

Members of the European Union and The United States are being accused of financially backing the protests and are openly labeled as "traditional enemies of the Serbian people".

In their comments, we hear such provocative statements as, "German troops are marching again in the streets of Belgrade", "they are handing their country over to foreign masters", "all this has been planned and organized abroad".

All this is aimed at creating an atmosphere of isolationism and claustrophobia.

Over the past few days, stories about demonstrators being supplied with drugs can be heard on state-run television and read in state-controlled papers.

The only comment on current events in Serbia that have been transmitted are Russia's official views along with an occasional foreign report voicing critical opinion of the Coalition Zajedno and its leaders.

COALITION ZAJEDNO

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