Three Local Vigils Raise Awareness of Kosovo

As bombs fell in Kosovo this weekend, three local vigils convened both for and against the NATO attacks.

On Friday hundreds of Muslims in the Boston area held a "March Against Genocide" in front of Boston's City Hall in support of NATO's actions in Kosovo.

The Kosova Task Force, the organizer of the event, called for the independence of Kosovo, the arming of the ethnic Albanians, and the indictment of Slobodan Milosevic as a war criminal.

The task force, an alliance of 16 regional and national organizations of Muslims and Albanians, stressed the need to support their "fellow brother and sister Muslims" in Kosovo.

"I'm Muslim and most of the people in Kosovo are Muslim. This particular rally was important because it was organized by the mosques, and we were at least there for them morally if

not behind them physically," said Saif I. Shah Mohammed '02.

Later that day, about 15 people participated in a silent vigil for peace in front of Holyoke Center.

The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and the Peace and Social Concerns Committee of Cambridge Friends Meeting organized the vigil to voice their opposition to NATO's bombing in Yugoslavia. Members of Peace Action and the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) also attended the vigil.

"I hope to encourage people to think about alternatives for protecting human rights without making war," said Steven J. Brion-Meisels, a board member of Peace Action.

The groups demonstrate regularly in front of the Holyoke Center. This weekend's demonstration was the second for peace in Kosovo.

"We've come here pretty often, unfortunately. When the headlines are really black, I go down to the Quaker house and collect the signs and come down here," said Catharine D. Rush '56, who is the clerk of the Cambridge Friends' committee although she is not a Friend herself.

Many at the vigil said that they are morally opposed to the bombing of Yugoslavia.

"You can't stop killing with killing. I think morally it doesn't work," said Shelagh A. Foreman, a board member of Peace Action and chair of its programs committee.

Many also stressed their belief that the bombings wouldn't solve anything and could potentially make the situation worse.

Several people were also concerned with the legality of NATO's action.

Yugoslavia's rights as a sovereign nation were violated not only by the bombing, but also by unfair negotiations in Rambouillet, France, said a few who believe that NATO should continue to try for a political settlement.

"If you look at the Rambouillet agreement, you'll see that it's a very one-sided agreement," said Arthur N. Stokes, a Watertown resident who used to be a teaching fellow for Literature and Arts B-51, "First Nights: Five Performance Premieres."

Not everyone was receptive to the protesters' message. Many people passed by without looking up from their umbrellas or taking the literature that that was offered. One Harvard undergraduate even stopped to argue.

But at least one passer-by was listening.

"I walked by and I was very interested in peace," said John Sullivan, a local libertarian activist who spontaneously decided to join the vigil.

"Our presence [in Kosovo] can only make things worse," he said. "I'll probably come back next week."

The next day, the Serbian Alliance of New England (SANE) and Organizers of Serbian Students International held a vigil against the bombings in front of the Boston Public Library.

Serbian Americans feel like targets of attack in this country, demonstrators said.

Wearing black buttons with a bull's eye and the word "Target," and waving signs like, "This is not a Nintendo game" and "CNN-tell the truth," about 100 people gathered in the third such vigil since the bombings began in Kosovo.

"The purpose is we are asking people to help us stop the bombing of Yugoslavia," said SANE president Gordana G. Todorov.

The vigil started at 3:30 p.m., just as the bombs were beginning to fall in Kosovo that night.

SANE member Milyana Bovan, one of the vigil's organizers, said the demonstrations are vital to the advancement of their cause.

"NATO is currently engaged in genocidal acts against all Yugoslavian citizens, Serbs and Albanians," Bovan said. "Our position has been completely silenced. It's crucial to hear the Serbian side of the story."

Bovan said the target symbol has great significance.

"It's presenting that we're all a target," Bovan added. "Eleven million people in Yugoslavia. Who knows how many next?"

Standing next to three people holding religiously-themed pictures, a series of speakers stood atop a milk crate.

The first two speakers were priests who called attention to the fact that the Eastern Orthodox Church celebrated Easter yesterday.

"Christian Orthodox will celebrate Easter tomorrow. My question here today is will they get back to their homes alive?" one priest said. "Will they survive another night of bombing?"

Many speakers, including a Roman Catholic deacon and a Jewish peace activist also voiced their support for the Serbian people.

Stephanie Johnson, who identified herself as an American mother, said the events in Kosovo were preventable and she identifies with the people there.

"Today I am Serbian, Yugoslavian, Iranian and Guatemalan," Johnson said. "I am a good American."

Later, another speaker read a letter from a mother with a daughter in Belgrade. "Our Easter used to be a day of joy and happiness. Not this time," the letter read. "We'll spend it in the shelter praying."

Many people attending the vigil have family in Belgrade or other personal motivation for being there.

Others at the vigil said they were dismayed at the media's handling of the bombing.

"The media is absolutely ignoring us," Northeastern student Mariola Magovcevic said. "Hopefully people who pass by will see us and understand the other side."