Violence during Montenegro's first gay parade

There is no point in going all mighty here. The sad truth is, homosexuality is a taboo subject in the Balkans, its not isolated to any one country. Its truly sad that gay people are harassed and are unable to live open lives in this part of the world. I don't understand the religious objection to it, surely God made gay people too?

The problem here is many in the Balkans see a gay pride parade as an open provocation to the rest of the population. If a large number of people clearly have a problem with this display of sexuality then its just best to not hold these kind of events on public streets. Surely it is much better to rent out a giant piece of land or stadium and have a gay pride picnic where all those who would like to participate can go in private and do so.

Much better than parading on public street in 'pride' of ones sexuality. The streets are a place for everyone and children at young ages aren't even supposed to know too much about sexuality. How are parents going to explain to their children what is happening?

Keep the streets clean!

Life in the Balkans. It's a shame. Montenegro is such a pretty country, and places like Budva and Kotor are beautiful coastal towns that ought to be high on anyone's list of places to visit on the Adriatic. But when I read about stuff like this, I can't help but stay far, far away. I'll spend my money in more tolerant corners of the world.

@ nikolle can't wait for that parade in Kosovo

Congratulations Montenegro send those cookie boys back to US or Canada there they can parade their propaganda. Keep it up they will try again

The problem here is many in the Balkans see a gay pride parade as an open provocation to the rest of the population. If a large number of people clearly have a problem with this display of sexuality then its just best to not hold these kind of events on public streets. Surely it is much better to rent out a giant piece of land or stadium and have a gay pride picnic where all those who would like to participate can go in private and do so.

Much better than parading on public street in 'pride' of ones sexuality. The streets are a place for everyone and children at young ages aren't even supposed to know too much about sexuality. How are parents going to explain to their children what is happening?

Keep the streets clean!
(Ari Gold

Let me try to wrap my mind around this.
It is OK for soccer fans to gather and walk the streets. It is OK for chetnicks to do the same, it's OK for religious people and supporters of political parties to do the same but when it comes to gay people it's NOT OK?

How do you parents explain such enequality to their children?

Shame! Shame! Shame! What happened to respect of rights of assembly and/or association? Disrupting the Pride parade is nothing but intimidation to make people pretend to be what they are not. Such disruptions remind me of similar in the 1970s and 80s by South Africa's Apartheid Regime. On behalf of Pembizo Christian Council, I condemn such acts as ungodly - Solomon Gichira - Kenya

I think all heterosexuells should take to the streets and show off. Lets show the world women like men and vice versa. These homos are asking for it. Can't they just be gay and keep it to themselves? Do they have to show the rest of the world they like hairy asses and ding dongs?

@cry_me_a_river,

None of the examples you posted have ANYTHING to do with SEXUALITY! I believe Ari gave clear and easy to understand explanations. Pride parades have NOTHING to do with SPORTS, POLITICS, or RELIGION (examples you tried to compare it to). Let me ask you... when was the last time you seen a STRAIGHT parade?

Cat caught your tongue? Thank-you and have a nice day!
NEXT!

(cry me a river, 24 July 2013 15:50)

First off, I resent your attempt to give the term "Chetnik" a derogatory meaning. This was the nickname of the Ravna Gora Movement the first anti-Nazi guerrilla army to form in opposition to German oppression in WWII.

Secondly, anyone using violence as a means of expressing opinion should be arrested and prosecuted. But nobody here is saying gays cannot be gay or gays cannot walk the streets. But to parade openly in front of the entire public including children in a manner that demonstrates a sense of "pride" in a sexual orientation is disgusting. If there was a "straight pride parade" I would take the same opinion. Sexual orientation belongs in the bedroom not on public streets.

It is very hard to imagine these parades are meant for anything else other than provocation. I don't get the sense of being "proud" in your sexual preferences. If you know many people have problems with this display of sexuality on public streets then it should simply not happen there. Why not reserve a picnic ground that has a large open space where participators of this parade can openly express themselves in complete safety and without angering the general public?

Besides, in Serbia and Montenegro there may not be the best of opinions towards gays but they still have every right they humanly need. If these pride parades took place in Saudi Arabia or Iran I would support it.

It's just yet another episode of primitive homophobia, hate, bigotry, intolerance, fascism - call it what you want. LGBT people have a right to peaceably assemble, i don't give a damn if it's in the Balkans, in belarus, in putin-russia, in "democratic" belgrade, wherever. lgbt people have a right to assemble, to parade, to march. This BS about "people aren't ready for it" - it's so disingenuous. People are never "ready" for anything, not for civil rights, not for women's rights, rights of minorities. There needs to be education and a sharing of ideas and experiences, to help the general public understand and accept something that is either scary? exciting? forbidden? to them...

And sometimes you have to push the envelope, which is exactly what these brave parade participants do in these more repressive societies. god bless them! and their allies...

Very ironic, how many times we've been to the Balkans, to Montenegro, to the sea - so much beauty and seeming freedom, and yet the fascists find a way to try to smear that.

No more damn excuses for fascism!

roberto frisco

Ari Gold, stay at home and keep the streets clean.

In Montenegro you get married with 20 years of age ,have 5-10 children from one women which listens to her husband with no discussion until death seperates them!
Also you carry your weapons with you,listen to your father and uncles and treat them with respect like they are gods,play gusle and your blood(relatives and tribe) is above anything else in this world!

That is the way it has been,that is the way it is,and that is the way it ALWAYS will be,any Western attempt to bring their decadency to us will end in miserable failure,on the contrary,we will even more fanatically stick to our traditions!

My four children have been taught this and live be that!

CG... and they also use Internet, have Facebook page, like to buy iPhone, send a lot of SMS and would love to buy Western car, too. Oh you use Internet, too? That Western decadent thing?! How come? Your uncle has no idea what computer is, he spends all his time riding a horse, cleaning weapons and playing gusle. You should show some respect for him and stop using decadent Western technology.

@????
Are you honestly comparing homosexuality to pedophilia, necrophilia and bestiality? sex is a biological act between consenting adults. a child is no adult. necrophilia involves a dead person, hence there is no consent. there is homosexual behavior in the animal kingdom too.

@ mike c hahaha great comment

Most commentators, as usual, fail to see that this is ultimately about the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of (peaceful) assembly. It doesn't matter whether the participants are members of the LGBT or the flat-earth society, all countries of the region have inscribed a constitutional obligation to facilitate and protect this fundamental right, regardless of the nature or purpose of the assembly.

The reason why the cancelled Prides in Belgrade caused such international condemnations was not related to the lack of tolerance towards the Serbian LGBT community, but that by putting a blanket ban on assemblies during the weekend of the planned Pride, the Serbian leadership demonstrated that they neither had the will nor the capacity (which should be seen as something of a national embarassment if the capacity of the Belgrade police is not at the level of their colleagues in Split and most recently in Budva) to ensure compliance not only with international standards, but the Serbian constitution.

(Can't recall that the great legalist Kostunica spoke up against the State of Serbia violating its own Constitution on that occasion, though)

Turkey has gay parades in several of its cities every year without incident.

Albania has had gay pride events also without major incident.
Danilo

Liar!

Crybaby- or an orthodox nun in Pristina. You make less sense every day.

Ari is right.

These gay parades are never anything but a provocation. We ought to object to any kind of public parades surrounding any kind of sexuality. Parades are no place for this kind of display and the homosexuals know it as much as anyone. The whole thing is a kind of fetish for them, it excites them to see people objecting to their behavior and what else are people going to do when they see these displays? And the homosexuals go out of their way to make a huge scene out of these parades, the more grandiose and outlandish they are the better in the minds of the organizers. The fact is that these paraders see negative reactions as a kind of success, unless they can see with excruciating detail that reaction is being suppressed, which is just as exciting to them.

It is all a very sick, sick display. Violent reaction is wrong, but natural and those who react violently are within their moral rights to feel that way. But law enforcement has priority, especially when the violence comes from habitual violators like football fans.

What could be more natural than soccer fans coming out to riot with gay paraders? They ought to be holding their parades together and holding hands too. Push the whole bunch off a cliff, I say.

The Government of Montenegro is a Fool and Idiot !.

Homosexuality is not a Human Right,
as Sexuality is not either,
it is only a Human possibility since,
Nobody is obligied to give Sex to Anybody else.

This Society is Perverse.

Arn.Sweden.

What did they really expect? If people want to be gay, that's fine but no need to glorify it, esp by having a parade. You don't accomplish anything by doing that and people in the Balkans know of plenty of people that are gay but they just turn a blind eye. Serbia and Montenegro are not multicultural societies like USA, Canada, and Australia. They still have problems with neighboring countries and you force a Gay Parade, just so they can get entry in the EU.

Hey, lets have a Gay parade in Turkey, or Albania and we will see what happens there? ya right.

Anyways, a gay parade in the West is basically like a sex show.

It really is a shame that there is people cashing in on these people who have a serious illness. Gay people say they are born gay and they didnt choose to be gay but just are. Well people with autism and down syndrome are born with those illness' too but you dont see someone take advantage of their illness and try to exploit them the way scumbags like Roberto and tom from lazybrook are doing. Roberto do you fight for the same rights for pedophiles? Necrophiliacs? And lovers of bestiality?

there is homosexual behavior in the animal kingdom too.
(Nikolle, 25 July 2013 11:06)

These animals! These godless creatures :)

I think all heterosexuells should take to the streets and show off.
(MikeC, 24 July 2013 23:09)


No one's stopping you

Hey, lets have a Gay parade in Turkey, or Albania and we will see what happens there? ya right.
(c9, 25 July 2013 19:05)

Turkey has gay parades in several of its cities every year without incident.

Albania has had gay pride events also without major incident.

Nobody is obligied to give Sex to Anybody else.

Arn.Sweden.
(Arn.Sweden., 25 July 2013 06:06)


something tells me you haven't had any in a long time :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Istanbul_Pride

There we go. This year there were 100 000 participants in Istanbul Pride.

100 000, dude.

so, turkey is a LONG way away from "just wait till there is one in Turkey". Turkey has a bigger Pride event in Istanbul than many "western" cities.

I guess I could turn around and call YOU "LIAR!" now. Except that implies that you are knowingly spreading something you know to be untrue.

So, I guess it would be more accurate to call you: WOEFULLY IGNORANT!

Liar!
(MikeC, 26 July 2013 19:33)


No. But if you're too lazy to do a google search, I'm not going to do it for you.

Once again - no problems with gay pride in Istanbul for years now. No issues with LGBT events so far in Albania (no parade yet, though)

Congratulations Montenegro send those cookie boys back to US or Canada there they can parade their propaganda. Keep it up they will try again

The problem here is many in the Balkans see a gay pride parade as an open provocation to the rest of the population. If a large number of people clearly have a problem with this display of sexuality then its just best to not hold these kind of events on public streets. Surely it is much better to rent out a giant piece of land or stadium and have a gay pride picnic where all those who would like to participate can go in private and do so.

Much better than parading on public street in 'pride' of ones sexuality. The streets are a place for everyone and children at young ages aren't even supposed to know too much about sexuality. How are parents going to explain to their children what is happening?

Keep the streets clean!
(Ari Gold

Let me try to wrap my mind around this.
It is OK for soccer fans to gather and walk the streets. It is OK for chetnicks to do the same, it's OK for religious people and supporters of political parties to do the same but when it comes to gay people it's NOT OK?

How do you parents explain such enequality to their children?

Life in the Balkans. It's a shame. Montenegro is such a pretty country, and places like Budva and Kotor are beautiful coastal towns that ought to be high on anyone's list of places to visit on the Adriatic. But when I read about stuff like this, I can't help but stay far, far away. I'll spend my money in more tolerant corners of the world.

There is no point in going all mighty here. The sad truth is, homosexuality is a taboo subject in the Balkans, its not isolated to any one country. Its truly sad that gay people are harassed and are unable to live open lives in this part of the world. I don't understand the religious objection to it, surely God made gay people too?

Shame! Shame! Shame! What happened to respect of rights of assembly and/or association? Disrupting the Pride parade is nothing but intimidation to make people pretend to be what they are not. Such disruptions remind me of similar in the 1970s and 80s by South Africa's Apartheid Regime. On behalf of Pembizo Christian Council, I condemn such acts as ungodly - Solomon Gichira - Kenya

The problem here is many in the Balkans see a gay pride parade as an open provocation to the rest of the population. If a large number of people clearly have a problem with this display of sexuality then its just best to not hold these kind of events on public streets. Surely it is much better to rent out a giant piece of land or stadium and have a gay pride picnic where all those who would like to participate can go in private and do so.

Much better than parading on public street in 'pride' of ones sexuality. The streets are a place for everyone and children at young ages aren't even supposed to know too much about sexuality. How are parents going to explain to their children what is happening?

Keep the streets clean!

It's just yet another episode of primitive homophobia, hate, bigotry, intolerance, fascism - call it what you want. LGBT people have a right to peaceably assemble, i don't give a damn if it's in the Balkans, in belarus, in putin-russia, in "democratic" belgrade, wherever. lgbt people have a right to assemble, to parade, to march. This BS about "people aren't ready for it" - it's so disingenuous. People are never "ready" for anything, not for civil rights, not for women's rights, rights of minorities. There needs to be education and a sharing of ideas and experiences, to help the general public understand and accept something that is either scary? exciting? forbidden? to them...

And sometimes you have to push the envelope, which is exactly what these brave parade participants do in these more repressive societies. god bless them! and their allies...

Very ironic, how many times we've been to the Balkans, to Montenegro, to the sea - so much beauty and seeming freedom, and yet the fascists find a way to try to smear that.

No more damn excuses for fascism!

roberto frisco

Ari Gold, stay at home and keep the streets clean.

In Montenegro you get married with 20 years of age ,have 5-10 children from one women which listens to her husband with no discussion until death seperates them!
Also you carry your weapons with you,listen to your father and uncles and treat them with respect like they are gods,play gusle and your blood(relatives and tribe) is above anything else in this world!

That is the way it has been,that is the way it is,and that is the way it ALWAYS will be,any Western attempt to bring their decadency to us will end in miserable failure,on the contrary,we will even more fanatically stick to our traditions!

My four children have been taught this and live be that!

I think all heterosexuells should take to the streets and show off. Lets show the world women like men and vice versa. These homos are asking for it. Can't they just be gay and keep it to themselves? Do they have to show the rest of the world they like hairy asses and ding dongs?

Ari is right.

These gay parades are never anything but a provocation. We ought to object to any kind of public parades surrounding any kind of sexuality. Parades are no place for this kind of display and the homosexuals know it as much as anyone. The whole thing is a kind of fetish for them, it excites them to see people objecting to their behavior and what else are people going to do when they see these displays? And the homosexuals go out of their way to make a huge scene out of these parades, the more grandiose and outlandish they are the better in the minds of the organizers. The fact is that these paraders see negative reactions as a kind of success, unless they can see with excruciating detail that reaction is being suppressed, which is just as exciting to them.

It is all a very sick, sick display. Violent reaction is wrong, but natural and those who react violently are within their moral rights to feel that way. But law enforcement has priority, especially when the violence comes from habitual violators like football fans.

What could be more natural than soccer fans coming out to riot with gay paraders? They ought to be holding their parades together and holding hands too. Push the whole bunch off a cliff, I say.

@ nikolle can't wait for that parade in Kosovo

@cry_me_a_river,

None of the examples you posted have ANYTHING to do with SEXUALITY! I believe Ari gave clear and easy to understand explanations. Pride parades have NOTHING to do with SPORTS, POLITICS, or RELIGION (examples you tried to compare it to). Let me ask you... when was the last time you seen a STRAIGHT parade?

Cat caught your tongue? Thank-you and have a nice day!
NEXT!

(cry me a river, 24 July 2013 15:50)

First off, I resent your attempt to give the term "Chetnik" a derogatory meaning. This was the nickname of the Ravna Gora Movement the first anti-Nazi guerrilla army to form in opposition to German oppression in WWII.

Secondly, anyone using violence as a means of expressing opinion should be arrested and prosecuted. But nobody here is saying gays cannot be gay or gays cannot walk the streets. But to parade openly in front of the entire public including children in a manner that demonstrates a sense of "pride" in a sexual orientation is disgusting. If there was a "straight pride parade" I would take the same opinion. Sexual orientation belongs in the bedroom not on public streets.

It is very hard to imagine these parades are meant for anything else other than provocation. I don't get the sense of being "proud" in your sexual preferences. If you know many people have problems with this display of sexuality on public streets then it should simply not happen there. Why not reserve a picnic ground that has a large open space where participators of this parade can openly express themselves in complete safety and without angering the general public?

Besides, in Serbia and Montenegro there may not be the best of opinions towards gays but they still have every right they humanly need. If these pride parades took place in Saudi Arabia or Iran I would support it.

Crybaby- or an orthodox nun in Pristina. You make less sense every day.

It really is a shame that there is people cashing in on these people who have a serious illness. Gay people say they are born gay and they didnt choose to be gay but just are. Well people with autism and down syndrome are born with those illness' too but you dont see someone take advantage of their illness and try to exploit them the way scumbags like Roberto and tom from lazybrook are doing. Roberto do you fight for the same rights for pedophiles? Necrophiliacs? And lovers of bestiality?

The Government of Montenegro is a Fool and Idiot !.

Homosexuality is not a Human Right,
as Sexuality is not either,
it is only a Human possibility since,
Nobody is obligied to give Sex to Anybody else.

This Society is Perverse.

Arn.Sweden.

Hey, lets have a Gay parade in Turkey, or Albania and we will see what happens there? ya right.
(c9, 25 July 2013 19:05)

Turkey has gay parades in several of its cities every year without incident.

Albania has had gay pride events also without major incident.

Nobody is obligied to give Sex to Anybody else.

Arn.Sweden.
(Arn.Sweden., 25 July 2013 06:06)


something tells me you haven't had any in a long time :)

I think all heterosexuells should take to the streets and show off.
(MikeC, 24 July 2013 23:09)


No one's stopping you

@????
Are you honestly comparing homosexuality to pedophilia, necrophilia and bestiality? sex is a biological act between consenting adults. a child is no adult. necrophilia involves a dead person, hence there is no consent. there is homosexual behavior in the animal kingdom too.

there is homosexual behavior in the animal kingdom too.
(Nikolle, 25 July 2013 11:06)

These animals! These godless creatures :)

What did they really expect? If people want to be gay, that's fine but no need to glorify it, esp by having a parade. You don't accomplish anything by doing that and people in the Balkans know of plenty of people that are gay but they just turn a blind eye. Serbia and Montenegro are not multicultural societies like USA, Canada, and Australia. They still have problems with neighboring countries and you force a Gay Parade, just so they can get entry in the EU.

Hey, lets have a Gay parade in Turkey, or Albania and we will see what happens there? ya right.

Anyways, a gay parade in the West is basically like a sex show.

Most commentators, as usual, fail to see that this is ultimately about the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of (peaceful) assembly. It doesn't matter whether the participants are members of the LGBT or the flat-earth society, all countries of the region have inscribed a constitutional obligation to facilitate and protect this fundamental right, regardless of the nature or purpose of the assembly.

The reason why the cancelled Prides in Belgrade caused such international condemnations was not related to the lack of tolerance towards the Serbian LGBT community, but that by putting a blanket ban on assemblies during the weekend of the planned Pride, the Serbian leadership demonstrated that they neither had the will nor the capacity (which should be seen as something of a national embarassment if the capacity of the Belgrade police is not at the level of their colleagues in Split and most recently in Budva) to ensure compliance not only with international standards, but the Serbian constitution.

(Can't recall that the great legalist Kostunica spoke up against the State of Serbia violating its own Constitution on that occasion, though)

Turkey has gay parades in several of its cities every year without incident.

Albania has had gay pride events also without major incident.
Danilo

Liar!

CG... and they also use Internet, have Facebook page, like to buy iPhone, send a lot of SMS and would love to buy Western car, too. Oh you use Internet, too? That Western decadent thing?! How come? Your uncle has no idea what computer is, he spends all his time riding a horse, cleaning weapons and playing gusle. You should show some respect for him and stop using decadent Western technology.

@ mike c hahaha great comment

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Istanbul_Pride

There we go. This year there were 100 000 participants in Istanbul Pride.

100 000, dude.

so, turkey is a LONG way away from "just wait till there is one in Turkey". Turkey has a bigger Pride event in Istanbul than many "western" cities.

I guess I could turn around and call YOU "LIAR!" now. Except that implies that you are knowingly spreading something you know to be untrue.

So, I guess it would be more accurate to call you: WOEFULLY IGNORANT!

Liar!
(MikeC, 26 July 2013 19:33)


No. But if you're too lazy to do a google search, I'm not going to do it for you.

Once again - no problems with gay pride in Istanbul for years now. No issues with LGBT events so far in Albania (no parade yet, though)