Interior minister calls for peaceful Pride Parade

Dacic says that police will provide the highest possible level of security for the gay Pride Parade and calls upon citizens not to clash with each other. Interior Minister Ivica Dacic says that the highest interest of both the state and police is for the gathering to go peacefully and that police will do everything to ensure that there are no violence and conflicts tomorrow. Interior minister calls for peaceful Pride Parade “It is very important for Serbia that such gathering, which maybe is not to the liking of the majority of Serbia’s citizens, goes without incidents,” the interior minister stressed. He repeated that the event “stems from constitutional and legal rights” which obliges the Interior Ministry to provide security, but that there were “groups which think differently” and which wanted to express their opinion through violence. “It’s our interest, the interest of the entire state that there are no incidents tomorrow and that the gathering goes in a peaceful atmosphere and that everybody who have different positions can express that in other ways, but hat they do not use violence against those who organize something based on their constitutional and legal rights,” Dacic stressed. He pointed out that certain streets in downtown Belgrade would be closed for traffic starting tonight. The interior minister apologized to the citizens for any inconvenience but he also said that they needed to understand that police had to do their job. A special police unit will be responsible for the safety of journalists who are going to report from the Pride Parade tomorrow, the police announced. Police have called upon the participants of the parade to follow the instructions they received from the organizers. The announcement further reads that police will regularly and in a timely manner inform the public about the parade. Ivica Dacic (FoNet, file) British ambassador voices support British Ambassador to Serbia Stephen Wordsworth has voiced his support for, and solidarity with, the LGBT community in Serbia. Mindful of the violence which has been directed against this event in recent years, the British Embassy supports the right of these communities to use this occasion to march together peacefully and lawfully. The British Embassy therefore welcomes the Serbian authorities’ support of the Belgrade 2010 Pride Parade and supports the Serbian government in its efforts to ensure that the rights of the LGBT population are fully protected, the announcement reads. “We strongly encourage the state institutions and civil society in Serbia to continue working together to advance further the implementation of the principles of equality and non-discrimination,” Wordsworth stressed. He points out that human rights, including justice, equality, non-discrimination, respect and freedom of expression, and the rule of law are the foundations upon which democratic states are built. Quoting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the British ambassador concluded that governments were obliged to protect all citizens from violence and to ensure that all people enjoy equal opportunities.

Interior minister calls for peaceful Pride Parade

“It is very important for Serbia that such gathering, which maybe is not to the liking of the majority of Serbia’s citizens, goes without incidents,” the interior minister stressed.

He repeated that the event “stems from constitutional and legal rights” which obliges the Interior Ministry to provide security, but that there were “groups which think differently” and which wanted to express their opinion through violence.

“It’s our interest, the interest of the entire state that there are no incidents tomorrow and that the gathering goes in a peaceful atmosphere and that everybody who have different positions can express that in other ways, but hat they do not use violence against those who organize something based on their constitutional and legal rights,” Dačić stressed.

He pointed out that certain streets in downtown Belgrade would be closed for traffic starting tonight.

The interior minister apologized to the citizens for any inconvenience but he also said that they needed to understand that police had to do their job.

A special police unit will be responsible for the safety of journalists who are going to report from the Pride Parade tomorrow, the police announced.

Police have called upon the participants of the parade to follow the instructions they received from the organizers.

The announcement further reads that police will regularly and in a timely manner inform the public about the parade.

British ambassador voices support

British Ambassador to Serbia Stephen Wordsworth has voiced his support for, and solidarity with, the LGBT community in Serbia.

Mindful of the violence which has been directed against this event in recent years, the British Embassy supports the right of these communities to use this occasion to march together peacefully and lawfully.

The British Embassy therefore welcomes the Serbian authorities’ support of the Belgrade 2010 Pride Parade and supports the Serbian government in its efforts to ensure that the rights of the LGBT population are fully protected, the announcement reads.

“We strongly encourage the state institutions and civil society in Serbia to continue working together to advance further the implementation of the principles of equality and non-discrimination,” Wordsworth stressed.

He points out that human rights, including justice, equality, non-discrimination, respect and freedom of expression, and the rule of law are the foundations upon which democratic states are built.

Quoting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the British ambassador concluded that governments were obliged to protect all citizens from violence and to ensure that all people enjoy equal opportunities.