Yugoslavia Police Club Protesters

Clubbing protesters and blocking opposition leaders from City Hall, riot police helped Slobodan Milosevic’s Socialists take control Tuesday of a town won by the opposition.

Riot police surrounded the town hall Tuesday in Smederevska Palanka while Socialists held the town council’s inaugural session.

Deputies from the opposition were kept outside. They held their own assembly in front of the building.

Opposition supporters then tried to march through town, but riot police prevented them with clubs, Dragoslav Travica, a local opposition leader, told The Associated Press.

Fifteen protesters were injured, including Ljubisa Brkic, an opposition member who had been elected to the town’s council Nov. 17.

Vuk Draskovic, a leader of the Zajedno coalition, said the opposition might call for a complete boycott of local government and establish parallel municipal governments unless Milosevic relents and recognizes opposition victories in 14 cities.