Serbia Gay Pride March Banned

BELGRADE, Serbia — Serbian authorities have banned a gay pride march and an anti-gay protest planned in the nation's capital this weekend to avoid violence.

When two similar events occurred side by side in Serbia's capital last year, about 100 people were injured, cars were burned and shops were looted in clashes between police and the anti-gay, far-right extremists.

So the gay pride march and the anti-gay protest planned in Belgrade on Sunday have been banned "to avoid bloodshed," Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said Friday.

Anti-gay prejudice is widespread in Serbia, a predominantly conservative Balkan country. The head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Irinej, has called gay pride marches a "parade of shame" that are "foreign to our history, tradition and culture."

But Serbia has been urged by the West to protect the human rights of gays and other minorities, if it wants to one day join the European Union.

On Friday, Serbia's President Boris Tadic backed the ban of Sunday's events, saying it was imposed to "prevent violence and the possible loss of lives."

Gay pride organizers said the ban represents a defeat for the state and shows that authorities have not cracked down on the far-right extremists since the clashes a year ago.

"It is totally unbelievable that police have not clamped down against the extremists," said Goran Miletic of the organizing committee. "We have spent four months preparing the gay pride march, and the authorities have done nothing."

But the ultranationalist Obraz, or Honor, group said that the ban presented a "victory for the Serb patriots."

Police said anti-gay extremists had planned to set buildings on fire in the suburbs of Belgrade on Sunday and to clash with police in the center of the capital.

Foreign diplomats had planned to attend the gay pride march in a show of support for human rights in Serbia.

Minister Dacic said the ban would prevent a possible repeat of the burning of U.S. and other Western embassies in the capital that occurred in 2008 during protests against Kosovo's declaration of independence.

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Dusan Stojanovic contributed to this report.

Comments

[SimonBao]

03:24 PM on 10/02/2011

Ahhh, Serbia. Always at the forefront of civil and human rights. (sarcasm)

Thanks to violence by anti-gay, far-right extremists, Serbian gays are prohibited from having a Gay Pride March. As they say, "Reaaaaaaally???"

Serbia is not ready to join the European Union, and isn't even moving in that direction.

[Nikola Perkovic]

05:45 PM on 10/14/2011

Those gays commited theft and insulted the Serbs to the bone,extremism was expected... Plus their demands are undemocratic,they ask for empyment just 'coz of their sexual orientation in a country of 30% high unemplyment,2 000 000 (another) for a gay parade and 10 000 police officers to block the streets of Belgrade thus braking civil right to freedom of movment so they could walk.

This cant be taken as a usual homophobia case, gays have all rights in Serbia,from gay clubs to their own TV shows and it's against Serbian culture to have such a "pride" march thus why insist on something so unoriginal and unaccepted by people if you're supposedly fighting for freedom?

[joeyfoto]

04:35 AM on 10/02/2011

This would have been an ideal opportunity for Serbian authorities stand up to far-right extremists, with a show-of-force in defense of the gay-pride marchers civil rights. Sadly, it is not the policy of the Serbian government to defend minorities against domestic savages.

Tell me: how does one distinguish "far-right-extremists" from the Serbian police?

[Nikola Perkovic]

05:57 PM on 10/14/2011

You,obviosly have no knowlidge of the subject. in 2010 5000 police officers protected the parade and got sevearly beaten. Thats more then Milosevic took to protect himself from those same "savages" that took him out of the throne.

Second homosexuals took 2 000 000 to "fund" a parade,a well know fact and an obvious theft since walking is free.

Third,LGBT is the thug in this case since their demands are undemocratic.

And why shoud the goverment AGAIN forbid the people to walk the streets of their own capital city so that homosexuals could?

This is an ideal opportunity for you to apologise for your nationalistic perspectives and enlighten us of LGBT rights in your country,Albania. It's a realy short text so let me save you the four letter responce: NONE.

[jm26dream]

04:30 PM on 10/01/2011

As long as none of the gays are over 40 and therefore too old for sex, I'm fine with it

[PoliticsHater]

01:18 PM on 10/01/2011

Banning that parade is gay.

[gaydood]

08:09 AM on 10/03/2011

i think that would be str8

[Nikola Perkovic]

06:08 PM on 10/14/2011

I think it's sane. Now that LGBT understands their extremism wont be tolerated they shoud turn their leaders to the law for theft and braking of civil rights (freedom of movment,violence),insults to the people,culture and religion(s) AND braking of public privacy since they reported around 10 fbook statuses to the police as "treats",on of them mine,thus sending the police to the doorsteps of ordinary citecens for no reason but trying to bring fear so the freedom of speach can be stoped.

I didn't support their parade since they insulted my nationality and religion with their posters and theirs speaches for no reason what so ever but atheistic verbal agression,since this is an ex-communist country it was only reasonable for belivers to feel thretened again,last time we hear those cind of "religion is bad" speaches the communists rounded up and shoot priests and their families as well as the belivers!

If they truly fought for some cind of "equality" they would of sayid that the first gay club in Belgrade was founded in 1929 while the westners (their owners) gave orders to beat the God out of them! Plus they already have equal rights here so I don't understand why did they start this civil war since they aren't even 1000 strong and there's 10 million Serbs.

[mudshark12]

12:47 AM on 10/01/2011

Hmmm, let's see: Serbia and Gay Pride March? Maybe in 100 years assuming we haven't blown up the planet by then, MAYBE Serbia will be ready to have its 1st Gay Pride March!

But NOW? No way, unless the marchers are VERY quick and can out-run speeding bullets, flying bricks, bottles, rocks, tomatoes, potatoes, hand grenades, RPG's and even Molotov cocktails. The Serbians aren't exactly gay friendly....

[Nikola Perkovic]

06:13 PM on 10/14/2011

Do tell me who shoot them? I live in Serbia and I never hear of any violence on homosexuals and never seen any proof of what you're saying. The worst I remmember is an article presuming that Serbian hooligans will do the same as the WESTNER ones do in atni-gay protests and buy baseball bats and such.

I think you're an nationalist from ex-yu that used this as an excuse to insult Serbs. Do tell us how gay rights are advancing in your country?

[Epilef2000]

11:29 PM on 09/30/2011

i wonder if the anti-gay parades in belgrade are supported, or financed by conservatives and republicans...just like the uganda governement that have systematically discriminated gays amd proposed the death penalty for gays..all supported by some conservatives in the US

[Talossa]

02:44 AM on 10/01/2011

Things were even worse in Serbia under atheist rule.

[Epilef2000]

09:36 AM on 10/01/2011

When Tito Marshall ruked Yugoslavia..the serbs, croats, slovenians etc lived in peace..and Yugoslavia was called "the America of Europe"....the bombing, the trade embargo, and the negative media all hurt serbia

[Nikola Perkovic]

06:17 PM on 10/14/2011

No goverment in any case have done what you said here. No death sentance or discrimination. The first gay club in Belgrade was opened in 1929 and there is plenty of them today same as homsexuals on TV. No conservativs ever ruled here except the communist ones and since you obviously don't know anything let me enlighten you: Communists are atheists,they forbid religion.

The church and the people of Serbia have never broken any laws or hurt homosexuals,they shoudn't blame us 'coz they were afraid of their parants so they kept silent about their homosexuality!

[Epilef2000]

08:27 PM on 10/16/2011

the conservatives I was talking about are American conservatives tied with a fundamentalist and powerful group now as "the Family" and the death penalty for gays is a policy they have promoted, financed and supported in different ways in Uganda...some of these politicians ..like Senator Colburn, Ensign..etc.

I know the Serbian Patriarch would not and did not call for violence against homosexuals on the contrary..cautioned people not to do it..Ive been to Belgrade a few times and took many photos of Hram.and visited enough monasteries to know that, just like anywhere, there are those who are authentic in their beliefs..and fundamentalist who use religion to divide, and conquer others..

[Atwill]

10:19 PM on 09/30/2011

anti - gay exrremist planned to set fires. That right there tells it all. Sick freaks.

[jm26dream]

04:29 PM on 10/01/2011

You misunderstood, they were planning to set BONFIRES to help with the entertainment and food

[Nikola Perkovic]

06:24 PM on 10/14/2011

Yes but they planned to attack the goverment not the parade. In case people wonder why those hooligans choose the gay parade to attack,it's because 5000 (last year) police officers in around the paraders thus not patroling the city,thus leaving the people unprotected and forbiding freedom of movment in the area of the parade. Then,thives come out and pillage,anarchist come out and destry and freedom figters attack the political partys that are most corrupt. Not one gay was hurt last year,read up on actual facts.

[americaisracist]

10:17 PM on 09/30/2011

good. problem solved. now everyone stays home.

[CymroTramor]

07:59 PM on 09/30/2011

Europe should just say 'No' to Serbia joining a free European Union

[perun]

09:20 PM on 09/30/2011

Serbia should care less about EU. EU will go away in no more then a year anyway.

[SimonBao]

03:28 PM on 10/02/2011

And yet, Serbia still WANTS to join the EU...

And still complains about delays in joining the EU.

Funny, that.

[spiderhole]

10:46 PM on 09/30/2011

EU is free, but all the choices have been narrowed down to one. Still, support for joining has plummeted in the Western Balkans. So why are they being forced into it?

[SimonBao]

03:32 PM on 10/02/2011

No one is being forced to join the EU.

In fact, the EU keeps telling Serbia "no." The EU repeatedly points to the need for Serbia to institute reforms aimed at transparency, accountability, protecting human and civil rights within Serbia, etc.

This is a bit like the person whose application for membership in a club is rejected, who responds with "It's a stupid club anyway... and I don't wanna belong to it anyway..."

[spiderhole]

07:57 PM on 09/30/2011

For all limousine liberals here, this is what is wrong with the "left". Serbia has a very unpopular government that continues to sell off (profitable) state-owned industries that usually end up shuttered in months. Employment and the state budget are a wreck thanks to these neo-liberal quislings. In Kosovo, mines that contain valuable minerals sit idle because of the political situation there. Serb and Roma children still have to go to school with armored vehicles escorting their buses. All the property of the 250,000 people who used to live in the south has been confiscated, some of which has been in these families for centuries. Additionally, their ancient medieval heritage has been blown up, defaced, defecated and urinated on under the watchful eyes of NATO "protectors". And you think a parade is important enough reason to abandon the rest of your principles? There is not one single politician in the country that is not controlled by the American embassy there.

[Nikola Perkovic]

06:34 PM on 10/14/2011

Finaly someone that knows the reality here. And still,I ask: Why did they need 2 000 000 for last years parade? Plus why did they insult religion and the religious who kept outside of all this untill they started posting posters of a lesbian holding a rubber penis simulation,in a prayer position,wearing earings of Serbias biggest saints? The insignia stated "Parade,weather you like it or not".

Thanks to their provokations,the mainstreet part of Belgrade was demolished,policeofficers that protected them and forbid anyone else to come close were beaten and numerous shops robbed since all the cops were protecting the parade. 5000 of them were protecting 700 paraders. And how much do their steps value when they took 2 million to WALK?

[spiderhole]

07:43 PM on 09/30/2011

HuffPost moderators don't allow a post calling another post ignorant and hateful, but they allow this. Wow.

[perun]

09:22 PM on 09/30/2011

Good job moderate. Looks like EU and NATO together.

[AmericanEmpireisdead]

05:56 PM on 09/30/2011

Wow HP this makes world news ?

[Middle America]

05:43 PM on 09/30/2011

Serbia brought us ethnic cleansing, concentration camps, all the killings...in 21st century.

[spiderhole]

07:37 PM on 09/30/2011

No they did not. The USA certainly has (Fallujah, Assyrians from their homeland in Northern Iraq, Serbs in Kosovo) - all within the last decade.

[perun]

09:24 PM on 09/30/2011

At least Serbs never kidnapped civilians , bucher them and sell their organs to who ever pays more like your compatriots did

[danlv2]

05:25 PM on 09/30/2011

Those that give up their liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. Someone needs to mention that to the Serbian government.

[Nikola Perkovic]

06:42 PM on 10/14/2011

Try to,we been asking them for basic life needs for the past decade yet gay rights seem more important then health insurance,atleast for the little ones?

[ramal]

05:02 PM on 09/30/2011

From the country that brought you the First World War. Serbia remains a plethora of ignorance, misguided nationality and thuggery today just as it was in 1914.

[danlv2]

05:29 PM on 09/30/2011

Serbia started the First World War like Poland started the second.

[mudshark12]

01:08 AM on 10/01/2011

Did you study history under John Belushi?

In WW2 it was the German Invasion of Poland that ignited that powder keg.

Now for WW1 let me go to Wikipedia:

The assassination on 28 June 1914 of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, was the proximate trigger of the war. Long-term causes, such as imperialistic foreign policies of the great powers of Europe, including the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Russian Empire, the British Empire, France, and Italy, played a major role.

Ferdinand's assassination by a Yugoslav nationalist resulted in a Habsburg ultimatum AGAINST the Kingdom of SERBIA. Several alliances formed over the past decades were invoked, so within weeks the major powers were at war; via their colonies, the conflict soon spread around the world.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I

[spiderhole]

05:55 PM on 09/30/2011

The above comment is extremely ignorant and racist.

[ramal]

09:11 AM on 10/01/2011

Perhaps you should be directing some of your venom to the authorities in Belgrade.