Belgrade Pride held without incidents; but it's not all rosy

Belgrade Pride held without incidents; but it's not all rosy

Images that went around the world on Sunday, as well as the fact that Belgrade this year has had two gay parades, could suggest that the struggle for the rights of the LGBT community is finally yielding results. However, loud criticism is heard inside the community, and prominent activist Predrag Azdejkovic believes that yesterday's Pride was merely "make-up" and "a fiasco."

As he stated in a writeup published on the website Noizz.rs, the event was attended by about 500 participants instead of the announced 3,000 people, "including all the activists from around the world, diplomats, security officers, journalists, plainclothes police, politicians, (folk singer) Jelena Karleusa ..."

"Amsterdam Pride is pained that the prime minister is attending the parade, like here, but they have the LGBT people. They cannot have both," Azdejkovic said on Twitter.

Azdejkovic estimated that such a parade is only used by the government of Serbia, which presented itself to the world as tolerant, progressive and pro-European, and said on Twitter that while Brnabic was present, she did not address the members of the LGBT community at all and did not make any promises..

The gay activist, who has his photo take with Brnabic during the event, while carried a sign reading "The Constitution prohibits the prime minister from getting married," also he pointed out that the LGBT community's big problem was that "Jelena Karleusa delivered the best political speech" and that the community presented no demands.

Azdejkovic in this way reiterated his earlier criticism that this event was not inclusive - i.e., that it is not organized for the benefit of the LGBT community, but for the sake of the guests from the world of politics, diplomatic corps and others. Also, in the past years, there have been accusations that that the organizers had a personal interest.

Because of this, Egal, Loud & Queer, and Gay Lesbian Info Center organized their own parade in June, in the form of a protest, during which demands were presented in light of the "increase in the level of violence faced by the LGBT community."

A week before the September even, Azdejkovic wrote on Blog B92, under the headline, "Belgrade Pride: A fashion show without fashion," to mention the views of a British lecturer and analyst and add that he partly agreed with the view that the Belgrade parade had become "a "apolitical ritual event without LGBT policy."

According to him, the demands exist, but work is not being done to achieve them, while this will not happen without the unification of the LGBT community around them.

Meanwhile, member of the Belgrade Pride 2017 organizing committee Goran Miletic, speaking about the atmosphere in society before the event, yesterday pointed out yesterday three elements - laws protecting members of the LGBT community, support of the prime minister, and greater willingness of young people to "out themselves."

The first gay parade was held in Belgrade in 2001 and was marred with violence. 16 years later, the situation, although very slowly, is still improving for the better, a clear sign of which was the participation of the largest number of ministers so far, he said in a statement for Tanjug.

PM Brnabic remarked that it was a good sign that there were fewer police in the streets this year.

In addition to organizers, activists and members of the LGBT community, the prime ministers and several ministers, the event was attended by Belgrade Mayor Sinisa Mali, Commissioner Brankica Jankovic, President of the Liberal Democratic Party Cedomir Jovanovic, German Ambassador Aksel Dittmann, British Ambassador Denis Keefe, head of UNICEF Office in Serbia Michel Saint Lot, one of the founders of the Free Citizens Movement Aida Corovic, playwright Biljana Srbljanovic, and representative of Yucom Milan Antonijevic.