LGBTs from 16 countries in Texas salute the banned Belgrade Pride

As Tarrant County LGBT Pride in Texas took place on October 7, LGBT citizens of the nation of Serbia were denied that same civil liberty on the same day as once again, for the second year in a row, Belgrade pride parade has been banned by the Serbian government.

The Serbian government banned Belgrade pride in 2009, 2011 and this year 2012, although the Serbian constitutional court ruled that the banning of Belgrade pride in 2009 contravened the human rights of its citizens. The government claimed that militant groups posed such a threat that it could not protect the peace if a gay pride parade took place. 

LGBT rights activists from 16 countries visiting Texas on an international trip joined local group Students, Administrators, Volunteers, Educators Support (S.A.V.E.S) on Tarrant County Gay Pride Parade to express their disappointment at the EU candidate country’s decision to ban Belgrade’s Pride parade for the 3rd time.

Commenting on the protest, European LGBT rights activists said “The Serbian Government is once again failing to protect its LGBT citizen’s human rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, if Serbia seeks to become an EU member it must reinstate the full rights of its citizens to assembly peacefully”.

 

Activists have created placards and gags to express solidarity and support to their counterparts in Serbia. This joint message was supported by 16 LGBT activists from Albania, Ireland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Russia, Croatia, Estonia, Italy, Lithuania, Former Yougoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland and Romania, Turkey and United Kingdom.