The Gen Y Revolution

By ANDREW PURVIS

The truncheons seemed excessive. Marta Manojlovic was already on the ground--helpless and bleeding from a head wound--when the Serb cops worked her over with the hard rubber batons. As she faded into unconsciousness, the cops started in with the kicks, as if her midsection was an errant soccer ball. Manojlovic is 17, and small for her age. But she disturbs the security men who are responsible for keeping Slobodan Milosevic jammed into power.

Given a choice, Manojlovic would like nothing better than to be like other teenagers. A fan of Guns N' Roses, she enjoys history and wants one day to teach. But even if she had a degree, she says, there aren't any jobs. Her once prosperous family lives in a crumbling, communist-era apartment on the edge of Belgrade, while her father, formerly a banker, peddles Nikes door to door. "I deserve better--we all deserve better," she says. She turns to show a welt on the back of her head. "Nothing in this country is going to change until people realize that they have to take personal risks."

Manojlovic has been taking extreme risks. She is one of a growing number of young Serbs--30,000 by the latest estimates--who have joined the movement known as Otpor, Serbian for resistance. Virtually unknown until a few months ago, the group is generating as much anti-Milosevic heat as anything since the end of the NATO campaign a year ago. Otpor has few leaders, relying instead on an informal web of student connections. And unlike the country's traditional opposition groups, which spend more time jockeying for power than pushing for change, Otpor has no political ambitions, according to its supporters, just a desire to be a catalyst.

The government is taking notice. Senior officials have charged the group with terrorism and with being "paid lackeys" of the West. Hundreds of members have been arrested and released. Officials even shut down universities to prevent gatherings. Says an Otpor spokesman wryly: "We had no idea we were so important."

The movement's tactics include harshly humorous "actions." Over Easter, members handed out eggs symbolizing the regime, saying to recipients, "It is hard, but it will break." Slacker slogans such as "Bite the system!" are everywhere. At a smoke-filled gathering recently, members debated how to sabotage the official opening of an apartment block. "Let's send guys up on the rooftops and shower [people] with leaflets," suggested a member. Not good enough, rejoined a frail girl: Spray the building with graffiti the night before! The mischievous atmosphere evaporated, however, when someone's mother called to say her son had been arrested. "It's the third time this month," said the girl. "We have to get him out." For Otpor, getting out of jail is becoming an increasingly necessary habit.

--Reported by Dejan Anastasijevic/Belgrade

With reporting by Dejan Anastasijevic/Belgrade