Serbian police arrested over 30 people, despite a government ban, as thousands of LGBTQ activists turned out for the EuroPride march in Belgrade on Saturday.
The event was intended to be the cornerstone of the EuroPride gathering. But the Home Office banned the march earlier this week citing security concerns after right-wing groups threatened protests.
And although the march was uneventful, local media reported clashes between counter-protesters and police.
The Home Office had also banned counter-protests, but some far-right groups promised to rally and congregate outside churches.
Interior Minister Aleksandar Vulin warned in a statement: “We will not tolerate any kind of violence on the streets of Belgrade, nor illegal marches.
Model and activist Yasmin Benoit said she’s been to many gay pride parades, “but this one is a little more stressful than the others.”
“I’m from the UK where everyone is more supportive and it’s more commercial,” she told AFP.
“But that’s really what Pride should be,” she added, referring to the societal struggle at the origins of the movement.
“We are fighting for the future of this country,” said Luka, a Serb who attended Saturday’s event.
– Gay marriage not recognized –
Despite the official ban, protesters were able to march a few hundred meters in the rain between the Constitutional Court and a nearby park, a much shorter distance than organizers originally planned.
Gay marriage is not legally recognized in Serbia, where homophobia remains ingrained despite some progress over the years in reducing discrimination.
The Balkan country, a candidate for EU membership, was under intense international pressure to allow the march.
More than 20 embassies – including the US, France and the UK – had issued a joint statement urging authorities to lift the ban.
There was a heavy police presence around the Pride rally and officers pushed back the small groups of counter-protesters who were waving crosses and religious badges.
According to the Interior Ministry, 31 people were arrested.
Authorities did not provide details of those arrested, but AFP journalists saw several counter-protesters being taken away.
According to N1 television, scuffles broke out between police and counter-protesters, some of whom threw smoke bombs at officers and damaged several vehicles.
The US embassy had urged its citizens to avoid the event “due to the potential for unruly crowds, violence and possible fines”.
– ‘Implicit sanctioning of bigotry’ –
Human rights groups and the European Union called on the Serbian government to lift the ban.
“The Serbian government’s decision to cancel EuroPride is a shameful capitulation and an implicit sanction of bigotry and threats of unlawful violence,” said Graeme Reid, director of the LGBT rights program at Human Rights Watch.
At least 15 MEPs announced they would join the Pride march as a show of solidarity.
Belgrade Pride marches in 2001 and again in 2010 were marred by violence and riots after far-right groups targeted the event.
Since 2014, the parade has been organized regularly without significant disturbances but has been protected by a large law enforcement presence.
This year’s ban comes just days after thousands took part in an anti-Pride demonstration in Belgrade where biker gangs, Orthodox priests and far-right nationalists called for the EuroPride rally to be scrapped.
“I’m here to preserve Serbian traditions, belief and culture that are being destroyed by sodomites,” Andrej Bakic, 36, a counter-protester in a group surrounded by riot police, told AFP on Saturday.
