By AMEL EMRIC
A Bosnian protester walks by a local government building during protests, in Bosnian town of Tuzla, on Friday, Feb. 7, 2014. Bosnian protesters set ablaze the local government building in Tuzla after they stormed it in rage over unemployment, rampant corruption and an overpaid political elite that appears detached from people’s needs. (AP Photo/Amel Emric)
Bosnia Protest
Bosnian protesters throw objects at a local government building during protests in the Bosnian town of Tuzla, on Friday, Feb. 7, 2014. Bosnian protesters have set ablaze the local government building in Tuzla after they stormed it in rage over unemployment, rampant corruption and an overpaid political elite that appears detached from people’s needs.(AP Photo/Amel Emric)
Bosnia Protest
A Bosnian protester sets a local government building on fire during protests in the Bosnian town of Tuzla, on Friday, Feb. 7, 2014. Bosnian protesters have set ablaze the local government building in Tuzla after they stormed it in rage over unemployment, rampant corruption and an overpaid political elite that appears detached from people’s needs.(AP Photo/Amel Emric)
Bosnia Protest
A Bosnian protester sets a local government building on fire during a protest in the Bosnian town of Tuzla, on Friday, Feb. 7, 2014. Bosnian protesters have set ablaze the local government building in Tuzla after they stormed it in rage over unemployment, rampant corruption and an overpaid political elite that appears detached from people’s needs.(AP Photo/Amel Emric)
Bosnia Protest
In this photo taken on Thursday, Feb. 6. 2014, Bosnian protesters build a burning road blockade during a protest in Bosnian town of Tuzla, 140 kms north of Sarajevo. Violent protests by some thousands of unpaid workers in a northern Bosnian city spread to other parts of the country Thursday and have morphed into widespread discontent about unemployment and alleged rampant corruption, in an election year. Police used tear gas to temporarily disperse the protesters in Tuzla who threw stones at a local government building, then the protesters returned after the tear gas volley, surrounded the empty government building and set tyres and trash on fire.(AP Photo/Amel Emric)
Bosnia protest
Bosnian police detain a man during a protest in Bosnian town of Tuzla, 140 kms north of Sarajevo, on Thursday, Feb. 6. 2014. Violent protests by some thousands of unpaid workers in a northern Bosnian city spread to other parts of the country Thursday and have morphed into widespread discontent about unemployment and alleged rampant corruption, in an election year. Police used tear gas to temporarily disperse the protesters in Tuzla who threw stones at a local government building, then the protesters returned after the tear gas volley, surrounded the empty government building and set tyres and trash on fire. (AP Photo/Amel Emric)
Bosnia protest
Bosnian people walking away from a police cordon help a man who appears to be injured, during protest in Bosnian town of Tuzla, 140 kms north of Sarajevo, on Thursday, Feb. 6.2014. Violent protests by some thousands of unpaid workers in a northern Bosnian city spread to other parts of the country Thursday and have morphed into widespread discontent about unemployment and alleged rampant corruption, in an election year. Police used tear gas to temporarily disperse the protesters in Tuzla who threw stones at a local government building, then the protesters returned after the tear gas volley, surrounded the empty government building and set tyres and trash on fire.(AP Photo/Amel Emric)
Bosnia protest
Bosnian protesters gather around a road blockade during protest in Bosnian town of Tuzla, 140 kms north of Sarajevo, on Thursday, Feb. 6. 2014. Violent protests by some thousands of unpaid workers in a northern Bosnian city spread to other parts of the country Thursday and have morphed into widespread discontent about unemployment and alleged rampant corruption, in an election year. Police used tear gas to temporarily disperse the protesters in Tuzla who threw stones at a local government building, then the protesters returned after the tear gas volley, surrounded the empty government building and set tyres and trash on fire.(AP Photo/Amel Emric)
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TUZLA, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Bosnian protesters stormed and set ablaze local government buildings in three Bosnian cities on Friday in fury over unemployment and rampant corruption. At least 90 people were injured.
The anti-government protests that began two days ago in the northern city of Tuzla spread throughout Bosnia, with thousands taking their discontent over the almost 40 percent unemployment rate onto the streets of a dozen cities.
In Tuzla, the crowd stormed the local government building, throwing furniture, files and papers out of the windows and then setting the building on fire.
Protesters also set local government buildings ablaze in Sarajevo and Zenica, and the building of the Bosnian Presidency was also burning. Those fires were promptly put out but almost all the windows were broken.
At least 80 people were injured in Sarajevo and 10 in Zenica, authorities said. There were no immediate casualty figures from Tuzla, where the worst of the fighting was.
In an unprecedented move, hundreds gathered in the capital of the Bosnian Serb part of the country, Banja Luka, to express support for protesters in the country’s other ministate, which is shared by Bosniaks and Croats.
“We gathered to support the protests in Tuzla where people are fighting for their rights,” said Aleksandar Zolja, an activist from Banja Luka.
The protests began on Wednesday with a clash between police and unpaid workers of four former state-owned companies, which left some some 130 hurt, mostly from tear gas.
The four companies employed most of the population of Tuzla. When they were privatized, contracts obliged the new owners to invest in them and make them profitable but they sold the assets, stopped paying workers and filed for bankruptcy.
Bosnians have many reasons to be unhappy as general elections approach in October. Beside the unemployment rate, the privatization that followed the end of communism and the 1992-95 war produced a handful of tycoons, almost wiped out the middle class and sent the working class into poverty. Corruption is widespread and high taxes to fund a bloated public sector eat away at paychecks.
