Pride parades

Pride Parade in Serbia a step towards human rights

Officials say the successful march shows the nation is promoting respect for diversity.

Respect for human rights is one of the first and most important requirements in the negotiations between Serbia and the EU, and the recent peaceful gay pride parade was lauded by officials as a breakthrough.

The Montenegrin capital will host its second Gay Pride parade late in October, in spite of the violent attacks on activists that marred the first parade in the country last year.

Queer Montenegro, the organizer of Montenegro Pride 2014, said on Tuesday said preparations were underway to hold the march in October, but did not specify a date due to "security reasons."  

Gay rights activists in Serbia held their first Pride march in four years, walking through Belgrade streets emptied of traffic and pedestrians by a massive security operation

Belgrade will host a Gay Pride parade on Sept. 28 for the first time in four years after being banned for security reasons following violent protests by ultra-nationalists at the event

VIENNA - The Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPO) supported on Thursday Belgrade's Pride Parade scheduled for Sunday.

Head of the SPO delegation in the European Parliament Evelyn Regner stressed that there is no place for discrimination in Europe.

Momir Stojanovic, the president of parliament's Committee for the Control of Security Services and a member of ruling Serbian Progressive Party, announced that the security risks for Gay Pride Parade were significantly lower this year than in previous years, and that the march will therefore go ahead.

BELGRADE - The Serbian parliament committees for human and minority rights, gender equality and EU integration called on Tuesday on the authorities to ensure the Belgrade Pride Parade scheduled for Sunday went through without incident, and they appealed to the people to keep the event in the spirit of tolerance.

BELGRADE - Commissioner for the Protection of Equality Nevena Petrusic has called for restraint in response to the statement on Pride parade issued by the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) on Tuesday, stressing that the church can have its own stand, which, however, should not add to intolerance and a negative atmosphere.

BELGRADE - Despite the announced strike by the Independent Police Union (NSP), the interior ministry (MUP) will ensure safety for participants of a walk during the pride parade, if the government decides that the event will take place.

BELGRADE - Pride Week officially opened in the Grad Cultural Centre in Belgrade on Monday, and it will last until September 28 when Pride Parade should take place, the staging of which is slightly more certain than in the previous years thanks to a change in the atmosphere and lower public tensions, the organisers say.