Serb police break up protest

Police and protesters clashed

Police have broken up a demonstration in Belgrade for the second consecutive day.

The BBC correspondent in Belgrade said the police fired tear gas into a crowd of several thousand opposition supporters as they left a peaceful rally.

The protesters were demonstrating against the government takeover of opposition television and radio stations.

BBC correspondent, Nick Thorpe, who was at the scene, says it is not clear what started the incident.

Riot police clashed with protesters outside the City Hall

Hundreds of people took refuge in Belgrade City Hall, where the tear gas also penetrated.

The police did not enter the building but those who could not push their way inside were severely beaten.

Injures

The independent Beta news agency said several persons, including policemen, were injured in the violence.

Doctor Slobodan Ivanovic from Belgrade's Anlave clinic told Reuters news agency that 11 injured people were in the City Hall.

He said that two were unconscious, two had suffered concussion and two had severe head cuts.

Demonstrators pushed rubbish containers to prevent the police advance

Thousands of people had gathered outside the city hall earlier in the evening to protest against Wednesday's takeover of Studio B by authorities who accused the station of calling for their violent overthrow.

Shortly before 2200 (2000 GMT), journalists, opposition leaders and others left the building.

The head of the city government, Spasoje Krunic, said he had talked with the head of the Belgrade police, Major General Branko Djuric, who said there had been a lot of street disturbances.

"I told him I did not know about this but we shared our concern. I asked him to allow us to peacefully leave the City Hall and he promised he would do so," Mr Krunic said.

Resistance

Earlier, one of the leaders of the Serbian opposition alliance, Zoran Djindjic, said resistance to the government's takeover of opposition television and radio stations will be stepped up.

He said the Alliance for Change would call daily protests in the capital and other major towns as part of a wave of civil disobedience against President Slobodan Milosevic.

Alongside with Studio B, police also seized control of three other independent media outlets housed in the same building - radio broadcaster B2-92, Index Radio and the privately-owned daily paper, Blic.