Thousands Protest Against LGBTQ+ Rights As President Tries To Cancel EuroPride
August 29, 2022Belgrade saw a massive rally on Sunday, protesting a pan-European Pride event – that had already been canceled.
The march was led by the Serbian Orthodox Church and joined by a collection of right-wing hate groups and pro-Russian nationalists. Bishops warned the event was a threat to traditional family values, according to Reuters.
As LGBTQ Nation reports, protesters displayed crosses and other religious iconography while carrying anti-LGBTQ+ signs declaring “Save Our Children.”
The day before, the president of Serbia announced plans to cancel EuroPride, which was to be held in the city, using the excuse that there’s just too much going on. The president, Aleksandar Vucic, claimed the country is facing too many problems to handle the event.
“President Vucic cannot cancel someone else’s event,” said Kristine Garina, president of the European Pride Organizers Association (EPOA), the event’s organizer. “The right to hold Pride has been ruled by the European Court of Human Rights to be a fundamental human right.”
Vucic made the announcement at a press conference where he also proposed extending the term of Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, a lesbian who’s been in office since 2017. EPOA’s Garina called on her to honor a pledge supporting the festival and reverse course.
Brnabic has been accused of not doing enough to advance the cause of LGBTQ+ rights in Serbia since assuming office.
Serbian Pride organiser Goran Miletic claimed Vucic didn’t have the authority to cancel the pan-European rally. “The only thing that can happen is for the police to ban the march,” Miletic said. “However, such a hypothetical decision would be contrary to the constitution.”
The central European nation has taken steps to further LGBTQ+ equity while applying for European Union membership. However, violent attacks against the LGBTQ+ community are a common occurrence.
The influential Serbian Orthodox Church has denounced Pride as “a disgrace” and a recent government-sanctioned protest drew thousands of violent, anti-LGBTQ+ demonstrators.
Since an attack in 2012, Pride in Belgrade has required a heavy police presence.
“I am not happy about it, but we can’t manage,” Vucic said. He suggested Pride could be postponed for “happier times.”
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LGBT+ Serbian Activists Don’t Wants Their Openly Gay PM To Attend Pride
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