Defy the ban. Thousands of members of the LGBTQ community marched in Belgrade on Saturday under heavy police protection despite the banning of this Europride march by the authorities, who detained around 30 people.
The parade, which is supposed to be the high point of this pan-European event that takes place each year in a different city, proceeded without any notable incidents. But according to local media, the clashes pitted counter-protesters against police.
“We are fighting for the future of this country”
Serbia’s Interior Ministry banned the march 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.
“I’ve been to several Prides, but this one is a bit more stressful than the others,” model and activist Yasmin Benoit told AFP. “I’m from the UK, where everyone is more united and it’s more commercial … But here, this is really what Pride should be,” she added, referring to the social struggle at the origins of the movement. .
“We are fighting for the future of this country,” summed up Luka, a Serbian protester.
Despite the ban, the protesters were able to walk a few hundred meters in the rain, between the Constitutional Council and a nearby park, a much shorter route compared to the initially planned Pride March.
The mobilized police
Numerous riot police were deployed around the demonstration and repelled small groups of counter-protesters brandishing crosses and religious insignia, according to AFP journalists.
The Home Office had also banned counter-demonstrations, but in far-right chat rooms, users had vowed to protest Pride.
Source: BFM TV
