Thousands March In Serbia EuroPride After Last-Minute Announcement

Thousands of people took part in Serbia EuroPride on Saturday, after an 11th-hour announcement by the country's PM that the march could go ahead, despite a previous ban. Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić said that the 2022 EuroPride March could take place, following weeks of controversy.

Brnabić vowed that the pan-European LGBTQ+ event would be protected by police, who were deployed in the Serbian capital, Belgrade, where the march took place.

The lead-up to the event was marred by tensions and threats from far-right and anti-gay groups. An earlier ban by the Serbian Interior Minister, cited “security concerns.”

According to Euro News, the parade happened without any major incidents, despite several attempts by anti-Pride protestors at stirring trouble. Several small clashes were reported, with demonstrators throwing flares and other projectiles at police.

Responding to the news that the march could take place, Kristine Garina, President of the European Pride Organizers Association, said she was "overjoyed" that Brnabić had “kept the promise she made in 2019 to support EuroPride in Belgrade.”

“EuroPride is a celebration of love, a movement for equality, and part of a global campaign for human rights,” she continued. “It embodies European values and is a threat to no one and certainly not to Serbia.”

Garina said the test of the PM's statement would be a “successful and safe” march. “This will truly be a historic EuroPride, and the most important in our 30-year history,” she added.

Saturday's event was the first EuroPride to happen in Southeast Europe.

Dozens of diplomats, Members of the European Parliament, and European and international leaders joined hundreds of activists as they walked from the Constitutional Court in Belgrade. However, the route was much shorter than originally envisioned, with the march ending at the nearby Tašmajdan Park.

EuroPride organizers proposed a new route for their march in Belgrade after Serbia barred the LGBTQ+ rights demonstration earlier this week, stating security concerns. “We tried on our part to do something. There is a red line, which is that it is impossible not to have a parade. That is very important,” said Goran Miletić, a local co-organizer of EuroPride. “We discussed with the authorities the various options that exist, but no agreement could be reached.”

“Over 29,000 people from 123 countries around the world have shown their solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community here in Belgrade, by signing the petition that we handed in just now,” said Matthew Beard, executive director of All Out.

Since August, conservative groups have been demonstrating against the LGBTQ+ community, EuroPride events and Saturday's march.

While Serbia has made gains for the LGBTQ+ community since a Pride march in 2001 that turned violent, with annual parades taking place in Belgrade since 2014, anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment is still prevalent.

Serbian law prohibits discrimination against LGBTQ+ people, yet the country has yet to legalize same-sex marriage or allow equal parenting rights for same-sex couples.

Read related myGwork articles here:

Serbian Police Ban EuroPride March

Thousands Protest Against LGBTQ+ Rights As President Tries To Cancel EuroPride

Serbia Orthodox Church Supports EuroPride Ban

Serbia Cancels EuroPride Citing Anti-LGBTQ+ Threats

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