(New York Times Report)
More than 10,000 demonstrators marched on the United States Consulate in Zagreb on December 20th to protest America's Vietnam Bolicy and smashed most of the building's windows before police turned fire hoses on them.
Consul Generel Robert Owens estimated that more than 41,000 in damage was inflicted during the two-hour-and 15 minute mid-day attack. Several Yugoslav employees at the three storey complex were injured by flying glass, but none was said to be seriously hurt. None of the 11 American State Department or United States Information Service personnel was injured.
The official Yugoslav news agency Tanjug carried a four paragraph report on the demonstration. It said that more than 10,000 Zagreb University students held a protest meeting, marched down Zagreb streets to the consulate and "most energetically" condemned United States "aggression" in Vietnam. "Although strong contingents of people's police and state security forces protected the front of the consulate building," Tanjug reported, "the demonstrators caused damage to the building".
Official American spokesmen disagreed about the protection. "The police were not sufficiently anxious to prevent damage", said one. -
The police finally ordered fire hoses turned on at the height of the disturbance at 1.30 p.m. Individual demonstrators who tried to enter the Consulate were dragged away. But by then all 16 large display windows in the USIS library and reading room on the ground floor had been smashed. Most of the panes of glass in the second and third floor consular offices also had been broken by rocks.
American officials described the demonstration as well planned, well executed and well advertised. JZagreb's principal daily newspaper, Vjesnik, carried this as a front page announcement: "Come and demonstrate against the Americans".
It started at Zagreb University, where the students heard a speech "condemning criminal actions of the American interventionists in Vietnam". An endless stream of young men and women carrying slogans then proceeded down the Zagreb streets to show their solidarity with the people of South Vietnam. Signs read: "Kenedy, Yes, Johnson, No", "Stop Killing Innocent People", "Get to your senses, Johnson" and "Stop the war in Vietnam".
The agency said hundreds of schoolchildren joined the march to 'most energetically condemn’ the American aggression.
American diplomats in Zagreb said the demonstration started 15 minutes before noon and took 'an Four or so to warmup’. Youths in front blockaded the square so that passers by were forced to join in. Then the demonstrators began he:ving rocks through the windows. The fire hoses were turned on when groups of youths tried to storm and enter the building. Mr. Owens said the demonstration was the ‘worst assualt' since 1953 demonstrations over US policy about Trieste.