Serbia’s lesbian PM booed over EuroPride ban
mambaonline.comSerbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic is accused of hypocrisy after her government banned Saturday’s EuroPride march Serbia’s lesbian Prime Minister has been booed at the EuroPride human rights conference after her government banned Saturday’s Pride march at the last minute. Following an earlier threat by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to cancel EuroPride in Belgrade, the police officially banned the march route on Tuesday with just days to go.
The authorities cited security concerns in the wake of substantial public protests against the pride event, including a planned protest by right-wing and religious homophobes on the same day as the Pride march.
The interior ministry said that holding the Pride march would “endanger the safety of the participants of the march, as well as other citizens.” Defiant EuroPride organisers said they will submit a formal complaint to the police to overturn the decision and would challenge the ban in court. “Police have waited until the last possible moment to ban the EuroPride march,” said Kristine Garina, President of the European Pride Organisers Association which licences EuroPride. “Every time this has happened in Belgrade before, the courts have ruled the decision unconstitutional.
The first ever ban on a EuroPride march cannot be allowed to stand and I have no doubt the court will take the same stance this time.” Garina said the ban was an embarrassment for Serbia’s out lesbian Prime Minister, Ana Brnabic, who in 2019 gave her government’s support to Belgrade’s bid to host EuropPride 2022. “This ban displays a complete failure of her political leadership and the complete failure of Serbia to protect its citizens’ most basic freedoms.
