The situation was tense on Saturday in Belgrade, where representatives of the LGBTQ community vowed to march despite a ban on a Europride march by the authorities, raising fears of possible excesses.
Serbia’s Interior Ministry banned the parade on Tuesday, citing security concerns as far-right groups threatened to stage their own protests after a series of anti-Pride protests in the capital.
“As activists, we will use our democratic rights to civil disobedience and protest” along a significantly shorter route, organizers said after the administrative court on Saturday rejected an appeal against the ban.
The ministry has also banned counter-demonstrations, but in far-right chat groups, users have promised to gather outside churches to protest.
The day before, the US embassy had called on its citizens to avoid the parade if the ban was confirmed, citing “the chances of uncontrolled crowds, violence and possible fines” by the authorities.
Dismay among rights NGOs
The decision to ban the march, the culmination of Europride, an annual pan-European event held in a different country each year, has caused consternation among human rights NGOs.
It is a “shameful surrender and implicit consecration of intolerance and threats of unlawful violence,” according to Graeme Reid, director of the LGBT rights program at Human Rights Watch.
Serbia has been the subject of intense international pressure, with more than 20 embassies, including those of the United States, France, Germany or Japan, asking it in a joint statement to reconsider its decision. At least 15 MEPs will march in solidarity during the march scheduled for the end of the afternoon.
entrenched homophobia
Serbia has been a candidate for EU membership for a decade, but member states have raised concerns about its rights record over the years.
Same-sex marriage is not legal in this country of fewer than seven million people, where homophobia is deep-rooted despite some progress against discrimination.
The 2001 and 2010 Pride marches were marred by violence after being attacked by the far right. Since 2014, the Pride has been held without any notable incidents but under high police protection.
Last weekend, thousands of people, motorcycle gangs, Orthodox priests and far-right nationalists, took to the streets to demand the cancellation of the parade.
Source: BFM TV
