Friday, May 21st, 1999

Do the Serbs support Milosevic's regime?

    Q: Do people really know what has happened in Kosovo? and if they know why do the support the Milosevic regime?

    Considering the tragedy is all around Yugoslavia in these days, none is able knowing what's really happening on Kosovo in these days - only the soldiers that are in the place. Still, it is clear the number of refugees is raising day after day, as well as the number of missing persons on both sides - Albanian and Serbian.

    Nevertheless, people of Serbia are mostly aware of the cleansing that is taking place on Kosovo, as well as of the constant attacks and entering of terrorist guerilla. Though the real numbers and facts are a mystery, the rumours and stories do spread quite fast and well.

    The assumption from the second part of the question is, however, wrong. The re haven't held democratic elections in Serbia for more than 50 years. Therefore Milosevic should not be identified with the Serbs.

    To prove that, people of Serbia have been fighting against this totalitarian regime during the last 10 years at least. They felt all kind of oppressions during those years. Milosevic's weapons are media and force - police. He had been using the police whenever he could. During the demonstrations on 9. of March 1991. two people have been killed, a lot were brutally beaten and arrested...

    During the civil protests 96/97, while more than 100 000 people were demonstrating on the streets in each town all around Serbia EVERY DAY FOR THREE MONTHS, god knows how many times they've been brutally beaten, arrested, tortured... Two men were killed on the streets in those days as well, thousands were badly injured...

    Anti War Campaign (ARK - Anti Ratna Kampanja in Serbian) started in '98, when the Kosovo crises began expanding and becoming more and more dangerous. The activists of ARK were trying to explain the facts to the people. They had been arrested and mistreated for hundreds of times... They did not have much of support in these days from the west, it has to be stressed.

    OTPOR (the Resistance) movement started in June 1998. They had a lot of successful actions from that time on. One of their activists was brutally beaten just in front of his house by "unknown" group of people. His neighbours were the one to prevent something worse to happen. The other one of their activists was arrested and kept in prison for 24 hours without a single explanation and statement. He felt various sufferings in these 24 hours...

    In spite of all the oppressions, they were ready to go on, to give their best. And they did achieve a lot. A lot more people realized they have to react. The repression was becoming more and more rude. Almost all the independent media have been sealed up. The university was left for the loyal people to administer; it was on it's way to depth! Just when we were up to make another big movement - NATO decided to kill us all for "solving the humanitarian catastrophe"! All of our 10 years efforts have been erased in one day!

Ana & William from mcmail.com