Serbia should revoke EuroPride cancellation, 145 MEPs say in a letter to President Vučić
a joint letter to Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.The lawmakers also asked the government to increase police protection and ensure the safety of the thousands of people expected to participate in the Pride march in Belgrade and all related events in what is the continent's largest annual LGBTQ+ event."We are aware that there are threats to the security of protestors, yet we maintain that banning this event outright is not the right solution," they said.
The document's signatories include the leaders of the socialist, greens, liberal and left groups, together with dozens of their colleagues.
Six vice-presidents of the parliament also signed the letter.Manfred Weber, chair of centre-right European People's Party (EPP), the largest group in the hemicycle, did not add his name, although nine of his fellow parliamentarians chose to do so.European President Roberta Metsola, who belongs to the EPP and has been a strong advocate for LGBTQ+ rights throughout her career, equally abstained."Roberta, as the President, representing the whole Parliament, does not co-sign letters and does not vote in plenary as a general rule," a spokesperson for Metsola told Euronews. "However, she is, and has always been, a vocal supporter of [LGBTQ+] rights."The celebration of EuroPride in Serbia came with high expectations.
Belgrade was to become the first city in Southeast Europe to host a pan-European LGBTQ+ event -- something that many saw as a huge step forward for the former Yugoslav republic."EuroPride in Belgrade is highly significant because [LGBTQ+] people continue to face discrimination in the Balkans, as they do in other parts of Europe," the MEPs said. "Awarding EuroPride to Belgrade was and remains the right decision."According to.
