Blind Bats

Ilic was invited to the rally but did not appear on Freedom Square on March 30 where reporters said between 3,000 and 20,000 people had gathered. Despite that his presence was felt at the rally and during the whole week before it. The local Narodne Novine newspaper started a campaign against the rally organizers who they called "some opposition parties". They showed their full form on the day of the rally: from the weather forecast which called for snow and strong winds to the open appeal by Nis Mayor Stojan Randjelovic for a boycott.

The front page of Narodne Novine warned that some people would turn the rally into a high risk gathering for people whose curiosity brings them there.

Probably encouraged by the RTS reports of the failure of the Belgrade rally, the Nis Socialists allowed themselves some provocation. They hung posters with their slogans - "A Step into the Next Century" - on the department store in the square.

The opposition leaders demonstrated firm unity in Nis. They had to cling to each other or fall off the small tables they stood on. "The authorities are panicking. They are an old woman and when a tire bursts they think the revolution has come. We will win this year," GSS leader Vesna Pesic said.

While she spoke, thousands of SPS leaflets were thrown from the darkened windows of the surrounding buildings. DS leader Zoran Djindjic said Serbia is tired of the worst people ruling it and hiding in the dark like bats. "Can the Serbian president be a blind bat," he asked and called the president to face the people. "If he's not afraid of his own people let him come out and not send cowards to throw leaflets out of tenth story windows."

Vuk Draskovic said Slobodan Milosevic has been saying for the past eight years: "Serbs you are stupid, and I can lie to you endlessly, and since you're cowards I can scare you endlessly. Fears and lies are the basis of Milosevic's Serbia and his authorities."

"The citizens of Nis showed their determination for Slobodan Milosevic and the SPS with songs about Slobodan Milosevic and banners of support for the policies of peace and overall development in Serbia," Ilic said after the rally. The only singing heard on the square that day was Get Out Slobo, Get Out; Slobo Saddam, Red Bandits. We don't know whether the Socialists criticized Ilic for his statement.