Serbian Capital Set for Gay Pride Parade

Belgrade's third Pride Parade will start at noon on Sunday and the walking route will be from Slavija Square to the Square of Republic, with a moment of silence at the Patriots monument at Terazije Street, intended to show support for the LGBT community in Turkey, where Pride Parades have been banned.

For the safety of the participants, this year's parade will be protected by reinforced police forces, although no major incidents are expected, police said.

"This year's parade, like the previous ones, required immense preparation and the cooperation of the authorities," one of the organisers, Boban Stojanovic, previously told BIRN.

"People often ask what the meaning of this two-hour stroll is, and the answer lies in the fact that all the relevant state institutions care about LGBT rights and that the media are interested in it. We are very pleased that we managed to make a central theme in society out of one marginal topic," he added.

The first Belgrade Pride Parade in 2001 was disrupted by large numbers of far-right nationalists who attacked and beat up the participants.

In 2010, the parade went ahead, but several thousand young people caused mayhem on the streets, throwing stones and missiles, injuring police officers and setting buildings and vehicles on fire. During the riots, 132 policemen and 25 members of the public were injured, while 250 people were arrested.

In 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013, the Pride marches were banned as the authorities said they could not protect the participants.

In 2014 and 2015, the marches passed off without incident, however, after officials warned that violence would not be tolerated and police maintained a high-profile presence, deploying armoured vehicles and a helicopter to prevent any...