– The Pride parade, or whatever you call it, which would have been held in September will be postponed or cancelled, says President Aleksandar Vucic at a press conference.
He refers to his country struggling with a series of problems, including the Kosovo crisis and failing economy. In addition, handling an event that is exposed to threats from right-wing extremists and the risk of clashes cannot be done, according to the president.
– It is a restriction of the rights of minorities, but at the moment the state is under pressure from several problems, he admits.
The organizers behind Europride are not going to give up.
“The state cannot cancel Europride. It can only try to ban it, which would mean a clear violation of the constitution,” writes coordinator Marko Mihailovic on Twitter.
“Pride will go ahead as planned on September 17,” he adds.
The plans for Europride have been met with protests. Last weekend several thousand people demonstrated in central Belgrade against the event.
Around 15,000 people have been expected to visit Europride in Belgrade, where pride parades usually attract a few thousand participants. In previous years, the parades have been several times attacked by violent hooligans or cancelled.
The organization European Pride Organisers’ Association (EPOA) designates every year a city in Europe to organize Europride, a pan-European event to highlight LGBTQ issues.