Journeyman Pictures Limited
Serbia - Belgrade -
Calling for a Revolution
February 1997 - 16 mins 40 sees
New Year Celebrations |
New Year's Eve Belgrade. Two hundred thousand people gather to see out the old and bring in the new. Like most gatherings these days, it has been organised by the Opposition. But like all rallies, it's more than a it's a celebration. protest VUK DRASKOVIC TO CROWD (SUBTITLED) "We are going to finish what we started in 96. Onward to a democratic Serbia. PTC "WELCOME TO THE START OF A REVOLUTION. ONE THAT IS PRECARIOUS, VERY DANGEROUS, BUT FOR EVERYONE HERE, HIGHLY INTOXICATING. BECAUSE AFTER 50 YEARS OF COMMUNIST RULE, AFTER MORE THAN FOUR YEARS OF WAR AND HORROR, SOMETHING VERY DEEP IS WAKING UP IN A NATION'S SOUL." MAP |
THROWING LEAFLETS |
For the past three months, Serbians have staged the longest mass-protest in history. |
RIOT POLICE |
They have braved one of the coldest winters in memory and the truncheons and tear gas of police. |
INSIDE WITH STUDENT BANNER |
But every day they have returned to ridicule what they once feared. |
MIROSLAV READING PLACARD |
It says, “Oh God I wish we knew for a condom then, Sloboadon's father." The target of their protest is President Slobodan Milosevic. For years, he has crushed dissent and faced down International pressure. Now students like Miroslav and Maria are learning how to beat him. "And what's this, this is cyrilllc. "The words are English. Emergency, everyone get on street. “ Miroslav and Maria have been full-time protestors since November when Milosevic cancelled Opposition victories in elections for Serbia's 14 biggest towns and cities. MARIA "You could say this was the last straw. We had the war before, and people were pretty calm because of the situation, economic or Is is. This was the last straw, stealing the votes at the election, the last straw." The students have been backed by their professors, who suspended classes in protest. The head of their faculty turned the building over to students for their headquarters. They have almost no political experience, and nothing to communicate with but newsletters and •the Internet. 't This Is a really good picture etc" Yet they have managed to mobilise daily street marches of as many as 50,000 students. MIROSLAV GRAB 27.23 t A lot of society has united around these protests, a lot of people, a lot of students united. We become a very connected generation now, we are in contact with a lot of students from the other faculties, so we become oonnoected or united. I think that's the best part of the protest." NATSOT OPPOSITION RALLY ojS3 The annulment of the elections also galvanised a once deeply-divided Opposition . The leaders of the three main opposition parties Vuk Draskovic, Zoran D Jinjic and Vesna Pesåc have Jointly led rallies demanding the votes be respected. 0408 ZORAN TO CROWD (SUBTITLED) "We are here because we won and we are not giving away our victories. CROWD - "We are not giving away our victories " ZORAN - "They can send a million police, but there are still five million honest Serbs against them." |
12 34.15 on |
NATSOT PARTY HEADQUARTERS The parties have maintained their separate headquarters, but formed a loose Coalition called Zajadno, meaning together . |
showing me around 30.37 on |
Vuk Draskovic heads the largest party t the Serbian Renewal Movement. 04 S/ VT-JK GRAB 05.44 "The main slogan of our political Coalition Zajadno is Europe in Serbia, Serbia in Europe. It means simply that we would like to have Serbia with European sysstme of parliamentarism, economy, of ownsership of Justice, OF the market, of free press But the student are deeply cynical about the Opposition ts commitment to peace and democracy. They blame politicians for the four-year war in Yugoslavia. They've kept their rallies completely separate from the Oppositions' . MARIA GRAB "Because who knows, if In a year or two the Opposition acts as this Government acts now, we'll have to do the same thing. That's why we don't have to stand with the Opposition t that's why we have to stay separate, independent.” The scale of protest has taken the and the people Government themselves by surprise. I t 's not just political activists and students. In Belgrade, it's the whole community. When Miroslav finishes organising for the students, he meets his mother for the nightly march. 0 6.10 NATSOT WITH MOTHER "She says she likes it because It's very peaceful, everybody marching, no violence. "The only violence is my whistle. "And you don't mind the rain and the snow . it No she doesn't mind it. |
(TO AVOID AGENCY FOOTAGE, CUT TO SEQUENCE WITH MIRSLAViS FAMILY) |
The combination of pro-democracy anti-Government groups is giving Serbia the revolution it tried but failed to have six years earlier. In 1991, as protests swept the last Communist Government from Europe, demonstrators took over Belgrade's streets. President Milosevic crushed them with a stunning brutality. The army cleared the streets with tanks. Police used water cannon to disperse those brave enough to remain. END OF COPYRIGHT FOOTAGE Within months, war had enveloped Yugoslavia and the calls for democracy were overwhelmed by a violent nationalism. Milosevic had found a new way to cling to power. MIROSLAV "Foreign media kept on saying that Serbs are war criminals, Nazis etcetera, and then you hear on your media that Serbs are victims, the ones who defend their country and so on, and people would rather believe then what they say on foreign media. That's why most of us didn’t do anything against this war like protests. But now people are realising that the war is not Serbs fighting for freedom, country or something, war is much more than that. It is achieving some political goals and we are used In that achievement as what we call cannon food.” |
MIROSLAV'S FAMILY |
NATSOT MIROSLVA WITH FAMILY 08. OZ Miroslav’s family were once the sort of people President Milosevic could look to for support. His father was an army officer. Both parents saw Milosevic as a defender of Serb interests. But now they can barely i L ve off their pensions. Their savings have been wiped out. Peace has brought neither the prosperity they were promised or the Greater Serbia they were told to fight for. MOTHER GRABS SUBTITLED) "People have begun to think and realise that even after the war has ended we continue to live in poverty. One would expect things to improve after the lifting of sanctions, and our living standard is lower. |
BEGGAR, CVS |
Peace has robbed Milosevic of the excuse to blame sanctions and outsiders for Serbia's economic woes. Unable to appeal to nationalist fervour, he has seemed to flounder throughout the crisis, barely appearing in public. |
Tv address |
NATOST TV In his one television address on he failed to even New Year's Eve mention the protests. The only oblique reference was to blame outsiders for any problems. MILOSEVIC GRAB (SUBTITLED) "Even if we take Into account the external and internal Interferences we've been exposed to in the past months, I think we can say we've done very well In that year. tt The same approach has been adopted by an ever-compliant State media. Nightly news broadcasts have barely . sometimes reported the protests claiming they were orchestrated by foreigners. Milosevic's control of the media has been crucial to maintaining his grip on particularly in the towns and power villages outside Belgrade. NATSOT TOWN This is the town of Nemenlkuce . 56 kilometres from the capital. Just Most people here are farmers or State workers. And they are solidly behind Milosevic. NATSOT MIROSLAV Here, you only have about 4 or 5 channels - which are state channels. And the radio stations that can get through sre state radio stations." This Is where the rest of Miroslav's family lives. "THIS IS MY AUNT'S HOUSE" His aunt Lepana and uncle Miodrag turned out to share the same view of the protestors as State TV… they were Just Interfering troublemakers. "They are creating problems for the citizens. I am not mentioning the authorities, Just the citizens. tt "If someone is advocating democracy, then they should go about it in a democratic way. If the Coalition organised each rally with 20 days notice and we all know noone, not even the police would bother them, then they would be displaying a democratic spirit." The small towns have remained a bedrock of' support for Milqsevic . but not enough to counter this obvious weakness in the cities In nearly three months of protests, there has been only one pro-Government rally. NATSOT APTV AND WTN FOOTAGE On December 74th, the Government brought fleets of supporters from the countryside to Belgrade They were armed with sticks and pipes. Within a few hours they had taken the against the protestors that the Government had so far not dared. |
POLICE CHARGING CROWD WITH BATONS |
But when police joined in, few believed it was anything other than officially-sanctioned violence END OF APTIV AND WTN FOOTAGE |
WOMAN SCREAMING |
“ I want freedom, I want to be free. Milosevic is killer, he killer |
NIGHTIME STUFF WTN DUB 2.50 ON |
WTN FOOTAGE Since then, plainclothes police have mounted frequent attacks on individuals in a bid to spread fear, Sometimes secret, sometimes in full view of cameras* they have targeted stragglers and the media. END OF WTN FOOTAGE Mien cameraman Lazar La lie was filming one of their victims, he felt the full force of what he'd been shooting. 'He was just took his stick and hit me in the head. And then other guys started kicking me. I was trying to explain to stop beating me - to yell as much as possible but it doesn't help when you're on the ground. They're kicking and beating you like mad dogs. I saw a couple of my colleagues and they had heads like this. It was a very unpleasant experience for everybody NATSOT MIROSLVA HANDING OUT LEAFLETS Another night, another protest. Mirsolav and his friends prepare once again to challenge the ban on street marches . They’re conscious any violence on their part could give the Government an excuse for a full-scale crackdown. So instead of forcing their way through police Lines, they sneak around them. MIROSLAV GRAB 32.58 "Part of the group have divided. One group will eventually break through. So we can do that without using violence. Q. And you're doing thig 'just to annoy them. A. Yes, because they are annoying us by not letting us march." |
AGENCY FOOTAGE |
Last week, President Milosevic let police vent their full frustration. It was the most violent attack since the protests began. And aII it did was, fundamentally expose the Government’s weakness. The next day twice as many protestors were on the street. A day later President Milosevic finally agreed to recognise the election results. END OF AGENCY FOOTAGE NATSOft PROTEST While the opposition are suspicious of Milosevic ts motives, they believe his days are ending. VUK GRAB t' I am quite sure Milosevic can’t survive politically this year. We will continue, the people is full of energy, people felt the beauty of fighting for the future, people is sick of the war, of the hatred, isolation, poverty and Milosevic's lies." But some doubt the Opposition would be a complete break with the past, Both Draskovic and his fellow Coalition leader Zoran Djindic have been accused of previous flirtations with ul bra-nationalism. Draskov±c has been linked to the formation of a paramilitary group called the Serbian Guard which fought in Bosnia and Croatia. As the Opposition leaders begin their jockeying for power, the students have retained their determination to keep their distance. MARIA GRAB 21.40 't We are actually fighting for the basic principle of democracy. It has nothing to do with the socialist party or opposition parties. 't The people power movement is not a complete break from the strident nationalism that contributed to the war and Its atrocities. But it has channelled those passions into a positive desire for change. And it has at last given a voice to those who were crushed by violence or drowned out by hatred. MIROSLAV GRAB /6. 00 "There are probably nationalists among the students, there are also democrats, socialists, communists. It doesn't matter what their opinion is, it matters to them, but not to the student movement itself. We are here only because we want democracy, nothing more. And then we will fight for our opinions . Noone can be certain where the movement will lead. But after four years of war, it may Just provide lasting hope for this troubled country, and its tormented region. |
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