In recent weeks, tensions have been escalating in Serbia, where EuroPride organizers are determined to hold a culminating pride march next Saturday, even though the authorities want to ban it.
Thousands of people demonstrated yesterday Sunday in Belgrade against the holding in the Serbian capital of EuroPride, a pan-European gathering of the LGBTI community.
In recent weeks, tensions have been escalating in Serbia, where EuroPride organizers are determined to hold a culminating pride march next Saturday, even though the authorities want to ban it.
Thousands protest planned Pride gathering in #Serbia https://t.co/nPTQDly8IJ 11/09/2022 pic.twitter.com/1wOAWp5nS2
— NiCoLeEliSei (@NiCoLeEliSei1) September 11, 2022
Thousands of demonstrators, including many clergy, marched in central Belgrade, responding to calls from conservative and far-right groups, including the Serbian Orthodox Church.
Holding up icons, religious flags and crosses, some have announced they will hold demonstrations if EuroPride organizers go ahead with their plan to hold a pride march.
🇷🇸
A really peaceful protest
Serbs held a mass march in defense of traditional values.
Today thousands of people took to the streets of Belgrade with icons, crosses and flags of Serbia and Russia.
The participants carried a 500-meter Serbian-Russian flag. pic.twitter.com/laFSmfCYIr
— Hawkeye1745 (@Hawkeye1745) September 11, 2022
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who had announced in late August that the parade “will be postponed or cancelled”, said on Saturday that police would announce 96 hours before the event (i.e. Tuesday) whether it could be held or no.
President Vucic cited “security” reasons, linked to escalating tensions in Kosovo — which declared independence from Serbia in 2008 but is not recognized by Belgrade — and energy-related problems.
EuroPride organizers criticized Vucic’s statements, stressing that the government has no right to cancel the march. The first two LGBT pride marches in Belgrade, in 2001 and 2010, were marred by violent incidents. Since 2014 it has been organized regularly, in the presence of a strong police force.
RES-EMP
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