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Serbian police officers. Archive photo

Serbian Prime Minister Brnabic: 64 people detained for protesting gay march

BELGRADE, September 17 – RIA Novosti. Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said that more than 60 people were detained during protests against the gay parade in Belgrade, while 10 police officers were slightly injured.

The streets in the center of Belgrade have been closed to traffic since Saturday morning. Neighborhoods around the country’s parliament and the Constitutional Court, where the supporters of the gay march gathered, were closed to traffic with a police cordon, and some streets were fenced off. Surrounded by heavily-equipped police, Euro Pride participants gathered at the entrance of the Constitutional Court at around 16.00 (17.00 Moscow time) and danced to the music in the street. Albanian. US Ambassador Christopher Hill and European Parliament representative Volodymyr Bilchik were seen among thousands of people who gathered with rainbow-colored umbrellas and symbols of action.

“Today, about 5.2 thousand employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs mingled on the streets of Belgrade, we experienced two incidents – a clash between some groups in Slavija Square and in Karađorđe Park, in both cases the Ministry of Internal Affairs employees responded in a timely manner, resolved the issues and made sure that the events took place. helped prevent its spread.” said.

“64 people were detained due to the events, ten police officers were slightly injured,” the head of government said. He added that Serbia has emerged as a serious state that “keeps its word to its citizens”.

Opponents of Euro Pride gathered in groups at several police cordons, where they clashed with law enforcement. These included traditional patriots with national flags, icons and Orthodox symbols, as well as young people in sweatpants and hoodies, whose faces were covered with protective masks. At the Avtokommanda junction outside the city centre, football fans fired multiple flares at the police officers, but they soon dispersed. The Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that 31 people were detained in the capital until 15:00 (16:00 Moscow time) for violating public order, and that they will not allow collisions, threats to health and life, and damage to property.

At about 17.30 (18.30 Moscow time), the participants of the gay parade made their way from the Constitutional Court building through the adjacent park to the nearby Taşmaydan stadium, where they gave a thematic concert in a column among reinforced police cordons. No opponent of Euro Pride was able to attack those who attended the event, which was separated by the police several streets from the protesters.

Earlier, organizers and supporters of the gay parade collected 27,000 signatures on a petition to Serbian authorities demanding permission to march, an open letter with a similar appeal was signed by 22 embassies of Western countries in Belgrade. The Euro Pride 2022 website has published a new shortened route to the venue for the themed concert at the stadium. The agency had previously banned a “family march” in Belgrade, amid the risk of unrest, alongside marches scheduled for September 17 as part of the EuroPride gay festival. The Supreme Prosecutor’s Office also recalled the ban on meeting with the participation of more than 20 people on Saturday and fined participants and organizers from 30,000 dinars (250 euros) for individuals to 2 million dinars (17,000 euros) for legal entities. Serbian Interior Minister Aleksandar Vulin on Friday denounced calls by US Ambassador Hill and EU permanent delegation head Emmanuel Jofre to hold a gay pride parade in Belgrade, despite the authorities’ ban.

Various mass marches were held in Belgrade in August-September in defense of traditional values ​​and the family. On September 11, up to 30 thousand citizens, carrying flags of Serbia and Russia, icons and patriotic symbols, crosses and banners, from the building of the Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarchate, the largest St. He walked to the Sava church. Many parents took their children with them, cyclists were at the head of the column, representatives of the Orthodox clergy were walking with the citizens. Serbian Patriarch Porfiry said that after the prayer, Orthodox believers do not impose their values ​​on anyone, but they will not allow foreign LGBT propaganda to be imposed on them.

Source: Ria

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