The World : Serbs Protest for Unity

Thousands of Serbs shouting “Down with cowards and traitors!” protested in Vojvodina, an autonomous province of Yugoslavia’s biggest republic, Serbia, accusing local leaders of separatism. The Serbs, led by a hard core of 900 from the ethnically torn south Serbian province of Kosovo, marched through Novi Sad to the regional Parliament, waving banners and yelling at police. The protest highlighted an open political conflict between Yugoslav Communist Party leaders in Vojvodina and those of the Serbian republic over regional autonomy. The demonstration was the latest in a series over the past months, most protesting austerity measures but some demanding a unitary Serbia.