Police arrest 56 after clash in Novi Sad
Four people were lightly injured as protesters in an anti-fascist rally and a neo-Nazi group clashed in Novi Sad Sunday.
Monday, 08.10.2007.
10:28
Four people were lightly injured as protesters in an anti-fascist rally and a neo-Nazi group clashed in Novi Sad Sunday. Interior Minister Dragan Jocic told Beta news agency late yesterday evening that 56 persons were arrested, mostly members of Nacionalni Stroj, a neo-Nazi group, including their leader Goran Davidovic, nicknamed Fuehrer Police arrest 56 after clash in Novi Sad But participants in the anti-fascist rally, organized by numerous NGOs and political parties, are also among those detained. Stevan Krstic, a spokesman for the Novi Sad police, said eleven Slovakian neo-Nazis were also detained as riot and special police intervened to prevent escalation of violence. Eight Bulgarian nationals are also said to have been arrested. According to Krstic, three participants of the anti-fascist rally were detained as well. The rally gathered some 5,000 people, organized by several non-governmental organizations, associations of citizens and political parties, and it ended with the lighting of candles at a monument to victims of a 1942 fascist raid on the Danube River Quay, following the incidents. Several hundred participants in this rally, which was organized in response to an announced but banned Nacionalni Stroj gathering, expressed their protest against fascist and neo-Nazi incidents and hate speech. At one point during the rally, a group of members of an extreme right organization, Obraz, came close to the protesters, but police prevented any contact. The protesters then walked to the memorial on the Danube Quay to pay tribute to the victims of the 1942 raid, in which Hungarian fascists killed more than 1,500 Jews, Serbs and Roma and threw their bodies into the icy waters of the Danube. As they marched towards the Danube, the anti-fascist protestors were attacked by a group of about thirty members of Nacionalni Stro, who were located in the courtyard of the Army Home on the quay. The two sides traded insults and then bottles and stones were hurled, but Serbian Gendarmerie, who were present in large numbers to secure the event, prevented any physical contact or more serious conflicts. The Gendarmes rushed into the courtyard of the Army Home a few minutes after the start of the incident and in a quick action took into custody a number of Nacionalni Stroj members. In the courtyard of the Army Home, they had unfurled a Serbian flag with the inscription "National freedom, social justice," bearing lighted torches and shouting the slogans "Vojvodina - Serbia" and "Serbia to the Serbs." The line of protesters that continued to the monument included Vojvodina Parliament President Bojan Kostres, League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina (LSV) leader Nenad Canak, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leader Cedomir Jovanovic, LDP MP Zarko Korac, and G17 Plus officials Suzana Grubjesic and Vlajko Senic. Late Sunday, the leaders of political parties that attended the anti-fascist march held a news conference calling on Dragan Jocic to resign. They also demanded that Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac and Serbian Army (VJ) explain how it was possible for the neo-Nazis to gather in the vicinity of a military structure. The Defense Ministry said the building in question is a café, and like any other of the sort in the city, was not secured by the Army. Jovanovic said he was "angry that the citizens were attacked for no reason whatsoever," despite heavy police presence in the area that failed to react in a timely manner. According to him, consequences of the clash could have been far worse, stressing that the state has to send a different message "in order to prevent neo-Nazis stir even greater tension and disrupt order." Korac said that citizens witnessed "the true, aggressive nature of neo-Nazi and clero-fascist organizations," adding that their behavior has support in the part of the public that is condoning their actions. Serbian Gendarmes deal with the disturbance (FoNet)
Police arrest 56 after clash in Novi Sad
But participants in the anti-fascist rally, organized by numerous NGOs and political parties, are also among those detained.Stevan Krstić, a spokesman for the Novi Sad police, said eleven Slovakian neo-Nazis were also detained as riot and special police intervened to prevent escalation of violence.
Eight Bulgarian nationals are also said to have been arrested.
According to Krstić, three participants of the anti-fascist rally were detained as well.
The rally gathered some 5,000 people, organized by several non-governmental organizations, associations of citizens and political parties, and it ended with the lighting of candles at a monument to victims of a 1942 fascist raid on the Danube River Quay, following the incidents.
Several hundred participants in this rally, which was organized in response to an announced but banned Nacionalni Stroj gathering, expressed their protest against fascist and neo-Nazi incidents and hate speech.
At one point during the rally, a group of members of an extreme right organization, Obraz, came close to the protesters, but police prevented any contact.
The protesters then walked to the memorial on the Danube Quay to pay tribute to the victims of the 1942 raid, in which Hungarian fascists killed more than 1,500 Jews, Serbs and Roma and threw their bodies into the icy waters of the Danube.
As they marched towards the Danube, the anti-fascist protestors were attacked by a group of about thirty members of Nacionalni Stro, who were located in the courtyard of the Army Home on the quay.
The two sides traded insults and then bottles and stones were hurled, but Serbian Gendarmerie, who were present in large numbers to secure the event, prevented any physical contact or more serious conflicts.
The Gendarmes rushed into the courtyard of the Army Home a few minutes after the start of the incident and in a quick action took into custody a number of Nacionalni Stroj members.
In the courtyard of the Army Home, they had unfurled a Serbian flag with the inscription "National freedom, social justice," bearing lighted torches and shouting the slogans "Vojvodina - Serbia" and "Serbia to the Serbs."
The line of protesters that continued to the monument included Vojvodina Parliament President Bojan Kostreš, League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina (LSV) leader Nenad Čanak, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leader Čedomir Jovanović, LDP MP Žarko Korać, and G17 Plus officials Suzana Grubješić and Vlajko Senić.
Late Sunday, the leaders of political parties that attended the anti-fascist march held a news conference calling on Dragan Jočić to resign.
They also demanded that Defense Minister Dragan Šutanovac and Serbian Army (VJ) explain how it was possible for the neo-Nazis to gather in the vicinity of a military structure.
The Defense Ministry said the building in question is a café, and like any other of the sort in the city, was not secured by the Army.
Jovanović said he was "angry that the citizens were attacked for no reason whatsoever," despite heavy police presence in the area that failed to react in a timely manner.
According to him, consequences of the clash could have been far worse, stressing that the state has to send a different message "in order to prevent neo-Nazis stir even greater tension and disrupt order."
Korać said that citizens witnessed "the true, aggressive nature of neo-Nazi and clero-fascist organizations," adding that their behavior has support in the part of the public that is condoning their actions.
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