Posted on 10/14/2008 1:59:41 AM PDT by kronos77
Blasts were heard and ambulances streaming out of the centre of Montenegro's capital as pro-Serb demonstrators clashed with police during a rally against Montenegro's recognition of Kosovo's independence.
Some 10,000 pro-Serbian protesters took to the streets of Podgorica for a rally against the government's decision last week to recognise the independence of Kosovo, as the opposition harshly criticised the ruling coalition for "stabbing Serbia in the back."
The protesters chanted "Treason! Treason!" and "Kosovo is Serbia!", as opposition leaders gave Premier Milo Djukanovic a 48 hour deadline to annul the recognition of Kosovo, or face a referendum on the issue.
Both demonstrators and police officers were among the injured and witnesses saw a number of ambulances taking the wounded to a nearby hospital.
It is not clear what exactly triggered the clashes, but the violence broke out as protesters marched by the government building, reportedly throwing firecrackers and molotov cocktails towards the police cordon which was securing the area.
Demonstrators also demolished the fence around the government building, and police responded by firing the tear gas into the crowd.
In addition, police helicopters hovered over the centre of Podgorica.
Police have made at least a dozen arrests.
Following the violence, protesters dispersed across the capital but sporadic clashes were still being reported.
Miodrag Vukovic, a high-ranking official from the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists, blamed the incidents on the opposition, saying their political rivals have chosen a wrong tactic to express their dissatisfaction.
"This looks like the 1997 attempt to overthrow the government... But Montenegro has matured since then," Vukovic said.
About a third of Montenegro's population declare themselves as Serbs, while ethnic Albanians make up around seven per cent of the population of this small coastal republic.
Montenegro was also in a loose federation with Serbia up until a referendum on independence in 2006. Podgorica recognized Kosovo`s independence on October 9, leading Belgrade to expel Montenegro's ambassador.
Montenegro's decision came just a day after the United Nations General Assembly voted in favor of Belgrade's request for the International Court of Justice to render an opinion on the legality of Kosovo's unilaterally declared independence in mid-February.
Ping!
Natch, none of this will make into the MSM.
The Montenegrin government ignored the will of the people, so this rioting is not a surprise. The criminal Djukanovic & his little mafia may have really crossed the line this time.
Don Milo has some debt to pay...
And here is how he will end:
More in the news:
“...
Police, which said it has decided to bann a new rally called for Oct. 16, “because of tonight’s destructive behavior”, said it detained 28 people.
The unrest came after some 10,000 people gathered in the Montenegrin capital to demonstrate against their country’s decision to recognize Kosovo Albanians’ unilateral declaration of independence.
The protesters arrived carrying Serb flags, and banners that read, “Kosovo, NATO state of horrors”, and, “It’s a sin to keep quiet about Serbs’ troubles”.
They were also displaying photographs of the kidnapped and murdered Kosovo Serbs.
...
This morning, Montenegrin police arrested Simo Spasiæ, who heads the Association of the Families of the Kidnapped and Murdered Kosovo Serbs, but he was set free during the day.
After he left the police station where he was held, Spasiæ told Beta that he believes he was only released thanks to reports about his arrest and pressure from the media.
“They kept me for four and a half hours, they provoked me, and wanted to know what I thought about Serbs in Kosovo institutions, about Milo Ðukanoviæ, and Montenegrins,” he said.
Spasiæ added that he was detained because the Montenegrin police saw the framed photographs of the missing Kosovo Serbs and Montenegrins, which he had in his car, as propaganda material.
“
...police saw the photographs of the missing Kosovo Serbs and Montenegrins as propaganda material...and it`s not a joke...
Demonstrations are a waste of time and energy.
Serbia needs to accept that Montenegro is no longer their province and the Serbs in Montenegro need to understand that.
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