Belgrade Pride Parade will not be held

Can't believe it. Are they gonna keep banning it forever?!

once again, the bullies and the narrow minded win. This only serves to encourage such threats. Who next?

Serbian citizens - demand your government stops the bullies winning with their threats. Or you may be next!

In most of the civilized world it's year 2013. In countries like Serbia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, N Korea it's year 1300.

I feel bad for those decent Serbs who live in this country.
(cry me a river, 27 September 2013 20:51)

Then I guess kosovo is still in the stone age.

Cry me befoe you comment serbias stance on minorities maybe you should take a look at how minorities are treated in your dear kosovaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh where serb children cant go to school without getting stones trown at them, where monesterys and churches are not sacred but burned to the ground and where the "police" arrest people because of their nationality. Dont throw stones in a house of glass. Last but not least why dont u organize your own parade in Pristina?After all gays are what u need to make your albanian dream society complete. Drugdealers=check, terrorists=check, orgnsnatchers=check only gays still to come.

In most of the civilized world it's year 2013. In countries like Serbia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, N Korea it's year 1300.

I feel bad for those decent Serbs who live in this country.

6,500 police were ready to protect a handful of British, American and German Gay marching like a conquering army through Belgrade streets. Thank God the government had the courage to tell these foreign Gay activists to bugger off.

In most of the civilized world it's year 2013. In countries like Serbia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, N Korea it's year 1300.
(cry me a river, 27 September 2013 20:51)

You forgot to include Kosovo and Albania. The last gay bar in Pristina was shut last year.

What the EU should be concerned about is not the fact that many people in Serbia are anti gay, this is the case in a lot of other countries already in the EU, but that the police and security services feel that they are incapable of properly policing/securing a peaceful march against the threats of hooligans. What happens when the police are made aware of possible trouble at a football match; do they a) cancel the match or b) ensure that sufficient officers are on duty to nullify the threat? This is yet again a convenient excuse for appeasing the masses in the vain hope that the EU will say 'oh well, you tried your best'. This is not about whether being gay is right or wrong but learning to live with those who have a different lifestyle to you, provided of course that they are not breaking the law.

Well done! Bravo, Go home shirtlifters.

Once again I applaud Mr. Dacic. He does have balls after all.

Victory for democracy!

God made Adam and Eve....not Adam and Steve. Thank God this parade won't be happening. I have nothing against people's sexual preferences but the need to have a parade to show what you prefer sexually is wrong. If for one minute people think that countries like Canada, U.S and England for example are for gay rights think again. The reasoning behind allowing gay parades and pride days in these countries is purely political. God made people normal. People aren't born gay. Its a sickness that needs dealing with. God willing homosexuals around the world will receive the help they need. Admitting you have a problem is half the battle.

(ned taylor, 27 September 2013 22:43)

How is it anti gay to not appreciate a parade celebrating ANY sexual orientation or things of that nature on public streets? This ban does not violate any real human right here. To say gays in Serbia cannot vote, pay taxes, work, own property, have protection from the law would mean they are oppressed or Serbia is anti gay. But they are not only protected by the law, but are generally tolerated (after all that is what its all about right, tolerance?) by society. The problems start when the majority of people in Serbia find it distasteful and opposing to cultural norms there for people to assemble with the purpose of celebrating sexuality of any kind. The streets are for everybody-grandparents, toddlers, teenagers etc.

The hooligans are not any better. Both this group and the LGBT extremists are both bad for the development of Serbia. The majority of Serbian people are neither of these fringe thinking radicals. Serbs generally believe that the existence of gay people should be tolerated and protected by the law. This is why gay clubs in Serbia's largest cities have existed for years now even before 2000. That said, a sexual parade is something no community has a right too due to the conservative and Christian nature of the Serbian nation.

Tolerance is a two way street.

To clear one thing right away. I think that gay population has to be equal to all others in every area of life. I can't understand homophobic people who show so much hatred towards this community.
However, I was never in favor of Pride Parades anyway... What's the point of it?
"We want to be proud with our sexual orientation and accepted like anyone else"...
And the best way to be like anyone else is to do what nobody else does?
I mean, I don't see too many people going around, parading their sexual orientations and preferences. Where is "love Blondes" day, or "love tall guys" or similar pride days? Luckily, I have to say, as downtown Belgrade would be permanently closed...If you ask me parading one's sexual orientation is idiotic, but one has a right to be an idiot on other hand.
Few days ago protest of farmers was banned too, who wanted to protest government's agricultural policy. They were going to arrive to the parliament with farm tractors. Explanation was that closing Belgrade and creating traffic chaos would not be in interest of citizens.
Now again...

"Aleksandar Vučić, who stated earlier in the day that the decision would be made according to the citizens' interests. "

What we need is a law that will regulate this area - establishing the rules of any protest or public gathering. I'll have to write more.

Hell yes they will keep banning it. FEAR does that. FEAR that there are gays and lesbians in Serbia and it may spread to others and OMG we cant have people like that in our country.

"In most of the civilized world it's year 2013. In countries like Serbia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, N Korea it's year 1300."

cry me a river

Funny you forgot to include Albania. Please, show me a link were Albania ever held a pride parade? If Serbia is a backward country then there is no word to describe Albania.

My screen name is Proud American, but I am prouder of the Serbian Government and the Serbian Citizens who will not allow themselves to be bullied by the EU and the Gay Community. Too many countries have fallen under this misguided spell feeling that they have to do what is, in their eyes, "politically correct" and not have the majority of the citizens in mind. Every country or state that has allowed these so called parades to take place, have done nothing but given in to the modern day minority who offends everyone else in the vicinity. I want you to look at this so called "Pride Gathering" in San Francisco and realize that the majority of the "participants" are nothing more then people who wish to expose themselves and perform sexual acts in public.

http://www.zombietime.com/up_your_alley_2008/part_1_full/index.php

These are the happenings at 90 percent of these so called "Pride Marches" that are occurring all over the world. For those people who support this madness, I would like you to take your children to these parades and see if you still support them so strongly.

Lets be clear here, this wasn't a decision taken on the basis of the government being dictatorial rather of public opinion. Surely one should be concerned when a government doesn't listen to its people, but here we have some commenters arguing the opposite which baffles me, seeing as we tend to criticize dictatorships for this. The security assessment also played its part here but lets not forget the police itself and the police union, which after the 2010 parade saw an uproar of the union towards the government for allowing a parade to go ahead despite knowing what would happen. The police had to go out and defend something the majority of them are against, but for the third year running we see that the government is rightfully careful not to annoy the police union to too high a degree.

How 2 faced you people really are.....You constantly complain about the mistreatment of Serbs in Croatia, but you can't even look after the interests of your own citizens. If anything its a slap in the face to minorities in Serbia when so called Chetniks march in Beograd honoring convicted war criminal Draza Mihajlovic.You people have no shame !

Once again I applaud Mr. Dacic. He does have balls after all.
(john, 27 September 2013 20:34)

Ha, ha, ha... You probably did not read the article, but it was precisely because Ivica did not have the balls to guarantee security that the parade was banned :) Going against the weak/small minority means being a coward.

A lot of comments here which are either pro-gay or anti-gay, either pro-Dacic or anti-Dacic and of course Albanians and Serbs have used this issue as an opportunity, again, to nit-pick at each other.
And why not? We can be and do all of those things in a free society but in a free society one should have the fundamental right to freedom of assembly and the government's job is to see to it that these fundamental rights are upheld. In this respect the government has failed and has missed an opportunity to show that threats and acts of violence will not be tolerated.
Hooligans 1. Goverment 0.

God made Adam and Eve and not Adam and Steve?
Are you sure about that?

Ari, it's good to see you back. I was beginning to miss you.
To the person who commented about the last gay bar being shut down last year in Prishtina I don't want you to worry. We'll find another gay bar for you in Prishtina if you'd like to attend. Just so you know, no one will care that you're Serbian.

And, no it isn't just Gay westerners who are brave enough to march the streets of Belgrade. It's those brave Serbs who are tired of being sidelines by Chetnicks like you. They're the ones who were exposing themselves to bodily injury to to stand up for their rights.
I say it's people like you who are cowards to face the truth. You don't have the guts to stand up to people who are different from you. YOu run in packs like hyenas and attack those who are vulnerable.

Bravo! The world witnessed yet again how you Chetnicks operate!

Lets be clear here, this wasn't a decision taken on the basis of the government being dictatorial rather of public opinion. Surely one should be concerned when a government doesn't listen to its people, but here we have some commenters arguing the opposite which baffles me, seeing as we tend to criticize dictatorships for this.
(SCP UK, 27 September 2013 23:12)

Tomorrow the majority of the public opinion might say that you should be burned at the stake. You and some others might argue the opposite at that point, which would baffle me because you would be burned at the stake in order to make the majority happy! Obviously, when my turn comes, I might agree with you as well, but at that point I'll be in the minority....

Dude, you're missing the basics here. Being a majority does not mean the majority is free to do whatever it wants - that is tyranny. The whole purpose of creating a state where people are organized to live together is to protect the minority and the weak. If it were for the strong/majority, people could well live in a natural state like animals where the strong/majority are guaranteed to always prevail by natural selection.

God made Adam and Eve....
(Komandant, 27 September 2013 22:50)

Science has already proved mathematically that statement is wrong :)
http://vimeo.com/55419263

Soccer riots can be dangerous, but even then, soccer riots are confined to soccer stadiums. Confronting a riot at a parade is something entirely different. A parade is a highly organized and specialized civic display and requires public cooperation at many different levels. If the authorities can't be assured of that public cooperation, then they shouldn't hold the parade.

Think of the Orange parades in Northern Ireland. These are always volatile events, but even then are carried out with a certain amount of decorum sustained by tradition. If the authorities had their way, they wouldn't hold them. Maybe they aren't holding them any more, I don't know.

The homosexual community as it exists now thrives on incitement. They can't be comfortable unless they are making somebody else uncomfortable. These gay pride parades are all about incitement. They get in people's faces until they get some kind of reaction and then run around whining about "homophobia".

The day is fast approaching when everybody does get used to the homosexuals and are better able to defend heterosexuality and the natural ascendancy it has in public life and institutions. Pretenders and performers need not apply.

SCP UK. The problem with 'public opinion' is that it is often contradictory. If those who would ban parades are happy to see this hinder Serbia's EU accession then I respect their principled stand. However, you cannot be in favour of accession but against the measures that will allow this happen. Ultimately I cannot see this single issue being a deal breaker if all other conditions are met, but some countries do not need much excuse to make life hard for Serbia and they have been handed some extra ammunition.

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me--
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Just stay wherever you are Ari. Hopefully you will always be in the majority wherever you are and can spend your life hating everyone else. Easy and comfortable life

I never hear about gay people being persecuted in Serbia or anywhere in the region actually? I still don't understand why a parade is needed. If it where as simple as making a statement about Human rights I could understand. However it's usually a big sex parade with people flaunting their sexual deviations.
The EU seems to be so concerned about gay parades in the Balkans however they tend to turn a blind eye to all of the Roma people that they themselves persecute and run out of their countries. Perhaps the EU should look at themselves for once and have each current member country host a Roma parade to show how accepting they are. Just as people have the right to choose their sexual orientation, a country's people as a whole have the right to choose whether or not to have a parade.

Serbia is being failed by its politicians and its police force. This is about freedom.

There will come a time when the parade will have to be held despite the limits being imposed by the political class.

There comes a time when law itself is shown to be inadequate - then protest has to take to the streets.

The government must not repeat this ban again. It must instead work to show that it is capable and organised enough to be able to police the parade properly.

Next year it must happen. The same excuses will not be adequate.

'Funny you forgot to include Albania. Please, show me a link were Albania ever held a pride parade?'

Uhmmm, it seems to me that majority of Albania Proper people are actually gays as 98 per cent of KiM Albanians - at least they behave exactly like gays, apart from over- and inbreeding what makes them similar to some other creatures...

Hell yes they will keep banning it. FEAR does that. FEAR that there are gays and lesbians in Serbia and it may spread to others and OMG we cant have people like that in our country.
(tm, 27 September 2013 21:59)

Can you explain to me why USA bans advertising cigarettes to minors?

Anyways its better to spend the money that would have gone to the police to instead try healing these individuals.

Icj- the state is protecting the weak and vulnerable. They couldn't guarantee their safety. Of course you would have been much happier with media coverage of violence against a minority on the streets of belgrade and another reason to give Serbia a hard time. That is why you are disappointed. Go promote a gay parade in Tirana, if you dare.

Hailing from a country where gaydom is courted and condoned, I was in high spirits when I heard about the ban on the march. More and more countries fall under the spell of homosexuals. Britain, for example, by introducing anti-family legislation and by legalising gay marriage. Thank you, Serbia for this brave decision! Continue to be the master of your own fate and the captain of your own soul.

@Ari Gold..then democracy is torture of minority.

Last night a march went ahead. The marchers were protected/escorted by the police. It was not the march that the 'pride' community wanted in respect of time and route. Neither the police, not the government, made any (real) attempt to prevent it. There were numerous 'pride' events all week that were officially 'sanctionned' and 'secured'.

And yet, the leaders of the 'pride' community and publically complaining. Why?

Could it be because this is not about their 'pride' in their sexuality?

Could it be because this is not about marching itself on the streets of Belgrade?

How can it be about human rights when the minority seem to share no compassion or consideration for the human rights of anybody not agreeing with them?

Is it, perhaps, all about politics? The politics of a minority group determined to force the majority (against their will) to accept their (the minority's) political and social demands.

I for one have no problem with another person choosing their own sexuality. I support efforts that bring public security to 'persecuted' groups. Everybody should have the right to feel safe.

I do not support attempts by minority pressure groups to impose their political and social demands upon the majority.

The problem is about rule of law and the inability of a corrupt Serbian political elite to get to grips with this.

Ari old boy, you missed my point. The nature of the parade is not the relevant issue, it is the message that is sent to the EU by an admission (or convenient pretence) that the police and others cannot guarantee public safety. If a group of protesters threatened to attempt to disrupt a state visit by Barack Obama my guess is that security would be beefed up rather than the event being cancelled. Dacic and others are under the illusion that this 'safety first' excuse will hold water. The parade itself is not a threat to safety but those threatening to break the law in order to disrupt it.

I go back to my previous comment. Hold your principles dear by all means, I genuinely respect this, but understand that sometimes a principled stand comes with a price and the authorities in Serbia need to be prepared to pay that price.

Funny you forgot to include Albania. Please, show me a link were Albania ever held a pride parade? If Serbia is a backward country then there is no word to describe Albania.
(MikeC, 28 September 2013 14:57)

Wooow, Serbs have really started to change their opinion about Albanians... We've been told for years how backward the Albanians are and how Serbs are so superior.

Now we hear from you that the standard Serbs want to compare to is the Albanian standard.

That said, a sexual parade is something no community has a right too due to the conservative and Christian nature of the Serbian nation.
(Ari Gold, 28 September 2013 17:13)

Of course we all know that Serbs are real machos and the only thing they fear even more than death are the gays.

However sexual parades are not the topic of this forum. Did you have some porn site opened on another browser dear and you put the comment on the wrong site :)

Proud American, 28 September 2013 18:15)

That wasn't a "pride parade", that was the Folsom Street Festival in San Francisco, which is, well, exactly as you show it. Not even really "gay" per se, more of a bdsm leather community event.

You may now go back to searching the internet for pictures of men having sex in public.

I never hear about gay people being persecuted in Serbia or anywhere in the region actually? I still don't understand why a parade is needed. If it where as simple as making a statement about Human rights I could understand. However it's usually a big sex parade with people flaunting their sexual deviations.
(MikeD, 1 October 2013 05:33)

Well, a sex parade is a parade of straight and gays alike... Not sure how old are you, but just FYI, straight people do sex, too :)
----------

Just as people have the right to choose their sexual orientation, a country's people as a whole have the right to choose whether or not to have a parade.
(MikeD, 1 October 2013 05:33)

Yeah, and with that logic, a country's people as whole has also the right to burn you at the stake tomorrow because the rights of a country's people as a whole are more important than your individual rights.

Proud American, 28 September 2013 18:15)
Interesting post and link, however, inaccurate it is for several reasons:
1. Comparing the activities in San Francisco which has a HUGE gay population to anywhere in the world especially homophobic areas is done only to scare people.
2. This has nothing to do with Pride parades, this is a street festival that is held yearly in a certain area of San Francisco and is not out in the general public, it is also a very sordid picture to try and portray all homosexuals this way which is not how it is.
3. This is not much different than Mardi Gras in New Orleans which has more of a heterosexual flavor to it.

With that said, I do not believe in Pride parades for pretty much the same reason as you do. It is forcing an issue in the face of people that may have personal or religious issues with it. Gay rights should be about equality and freedom from persecution. It should not be about trampling on the rights of others.

Belgrade was right in banning the parade if they are unable to guarantee safety for everyone. It would have been more detrimental for Serbia's ascension to the EU to have held the parade and had a catastrophic event.
These parades should only be held in communities that have accepted gays as equal partners not as a tool to force it.
I truly doubt the picture you tried to paint would have actually happened at a parade in Belgrade though.

Serbs must fear their nationalists/extremest taking them into 4 wars and losing them all during the 1990's.

Freedom for Serb Gays this way the race can't replenish it self.............

Well done! Bravo, Go home shirtlifters.

Once again I applaud Mr. Dacic. He does have balls after all.

God made Adam and Eve....not Adam and Steve. Thank God this parade won't be happening. I have nothing against people's sexual preferences but the need to have a parade to show what you prefer sexually is wrong. If for one minute people think that countries like Canada, U.S and England for example are for gay rights think again. The reasoning behind allowing gay parades and pride days in these countries is purely political. God made people normal. People aren't born gay. Its a sickness that needs dealing with. God willing homosexuals around the world will receive the help they need. Admitting you have a problem is half the battle.

6,500 police were ready to protect a handful of British, American and German Gay marching like a conquering army through Belgrade streets. Thank God the government had the courage to tell these foreign Gay activists to bugger off.

In most of the civilized world it's year 2013. In countries like Serbia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, N Korea it's year 1300.

I feel bad for those decent Serbs who live in this country.

Victory for democracy!

Cry me befoe you comment serbias stance on minorities maybe you should take a look at how minorities are treated in your dear kosovaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh where serb children cant go to school without getting stones trown at them, where monesterys and churches are not sacred but burned to the ground and where the "police" arrest people because of their nationality. Dont throw stones in a house of glass. Last but not least why dont u organize your own parade in Pristina?After all gays are what u need to make your albanian dream society complete. Drugdealers=check, terrorists=check, orgnsnatchers=check only gays still to come.

Can't believe it. Are they gonna keep banning it forever?!

once again, the bullies and the narrow minded win. This only serves to encourage such threats. Who next?

Serbian citizens - demand your government stops the bullies winning with their threats. Or you may be next!

What the EU should be concerned about is not the fact that many people in Serbia are anti gay, this is the case in a lot of other countries already in the EU, but that the police and security services feel that they are incapable of properly policing/securing a peaceful march against the threats of hooligans. What happens when the police are made aware of possible trouble at a football match; do they a) cancel the match or b) ensure that sufficient officers are on duty to nullify the threat? This is yet again a convenient excuse for appeasing the masses in the vain hope that the EU will say 'oh well, you tried your best'. This is not about whether being gay is right or wrong but learning to live with those who have a different lifestyle to you, provided of course that they are not breaking the law.

Soccer riots can be dangerous, but even then, soccer riots are confined to soccer stadiums. Confronting a riot at a parade is something entirely different. A parade is a highly organized and specialized civic display and requires public cooperation at many different levels. If the authorities can't be assured of that public cooperation, then they shouldn't hold the parade.

Think of the Orange parades in Northern Ireland. These are always volatile events, but even then are carried out with a certain amount of decorum sustained by tradition. If the authorities had their way, they wouldn't hold them. Maybe they aren't holding them any more, I don't know.

The homosexual community as it exists now thrives on incitement. They can't be comfortable unless they are making somebody else uncomfortable. These gay pride parades are all about incitement. They get in people's faces until they get some kind of reaction and then run around whining about "homophobia".

The day is fast approaching when everybody does get used to the homosexuals and are better able to defend heterosexuality and the natural ascendancy it has in public life and institutions. Pretenders and performers need not apply.

Hell yes they will keep banning it. FEAR does that. FEAR that there are gays and lesbians in Serbia and it may spread to others and OMG we cant have people like that in our country.

Lets be clear here, this wasn't a decision taken on the basis of the government being dictatorial rather of public opinion. Surely one should be concerned when a government doesn't listen to its people, but here we have some commenters arguing the opposite which baffles me, seeing as we tend to criticize dictatorships for this. The security assessment also played its part here but lets not forget the police itself and the police union, which after the 2010 parade saw an uproar of the union towards the government for allowing a parade to go ahead despite knowing what would happen. The police had to go out and defend something the majority of them are against, but for the third year running we see that the government is rightfully careful not to annoy the police union to too high a degree.

How 2 faced you people really are.....You constantly complain about the mistreatment of Serbs in Croatia, but you can't even look after the interests of your own citizens. If anything its a slap in the face to minorities in Serbia when so called Chetniks march in Beograd honoring convicted war criminal Draza Mihajlovic.You people have no shame !

In most of the civilized world it's year 2013. In countries like Serbia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, N Korea it's year 1300.
(cry me a river, 27 September 2013 20:51)

You forgot to include Kosovo and Albania. The last gay bar in Pristina was shut last year.

In most of the civilized world it's year 2013. In countries like Serbia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, N Korea it's year 1300.

I feel bad for those decent Serbs who live in this country.
(cry me a river, 27 September 2013 20:51)

Then I guess kosovo is still in the stone age.

My screen name is Proud American, but I am prouder of the Serbian Government and the Serbian Citizens who will not allow themselves to be bullied by the EU and the Gay Community. Too many countries have fallen under this misguided spell feeling that they have to do what is, in their eyes, "politically correct" and not have the majority of the citizens in mind. Every country or state that has allowed these so called parades to take place, have done nothing but given in to the modern day minority who offends everyone else in the vicinity. I want you to look at this so called "Pride Gathering" in San Francisco and realize that the majority of the "participants" are nothing more then people who wish to expose themselves and perform sexual acts in public.

http://www.zombietime.com/up_your_alley_2008/part_1_full/index.php

These are the happenings at 90 percent of these so called "Pride Marches" that are occurring all over the world. For those people who support this madness, I would like you to take your children to these parades and see if you still support them so strongly.

To clear one thing right away. I think that gay population has to be equal to all others in every area of life. I can't understand homophobic people who show so much hatred towards this community.
However, I was never in favor of Pride Parades anyway... What's the point of it?
"We want to be proud with our sexual orientation and accepted like anyone else"...
And the best way to be like anyone else is to do what nobody else does?
I mean, I don't see too many people going around, parading their sexual orientations and preferences. Where is "love Blondes" day, or "love tall guys" or similar pride days? Luckily, I have to say, as downtown Belgrade would be permanently closed...If you ask me parading one's sexual orientation is idiotic, but one has a right to be an idiot on other hand.
Few days ago protest of farmers was banned too, who wanted to protest government's agricultural policy. They were going to arrive to the parliament with farm tractors. Explanation was that closing Belgrade and creating traffic chaos would not be in interest of citizens.
Now again...

"Aleksandar Vučić, who stated earlier in the day that the decision would be made according to the citizens' interests. "

What we need is a law that will regulate this area - establishing the rules of any protest or public gathering. I'll have to write more.

"In most of the civilized world it's year 2013. In countries like Serbia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, N Korea it's year 1300."

cry me a river

Funny you forgot to include Albania. Please, show me a link were Albania ever held a pride parade? If Serbia is a backward country then there is no word to describe Albania.

God made Adam and Eve and not Adam and Steve?
Are you sure about that?

Ari, it's good to see you back. I was beginning to miss you.
To the person who commented about the last gay bar being shut down last year in Prishtina I don't want you to worry. We'll find another gay bar for you in Prishtina if you'd like to attend. Just so you know, no one will care that you're Serbian.

And, no it isn't just Gay westerners who are brave enough to march the streets of Belgrade. It's those brave Serbs who are tired of being sidelines by Chetnicks like you. They're the ones who were exposing themselves to bodily injury to to stand up for their rights.
I say it's people like you who are cowards to face the truth. You don't have the guts to stand up to people who are different from you. YOu run in packs like hyenas and attack those who are vulnerable.

Bravo! The world witnessed yet again how you Chetnicks operate!

God made Adam and Eve....
(Komandant, 27 September 2013 22:50)

Science has already proved mathematically that statement is wrong :)
http://vimeo.com/55419263

(ned taylor, 27 September 2013 22:43)

How is it anti gay to not appreciate a parade celebrating ANY sexual orientation or things of that nature on public streets? This ban does not violate any real human right here. To say gays in Serbia cannot vote, pay taxes, work, own property, have protection from the law would mean they are oppressed or Serbia is anti gay. But they are not only protected by the law, but are generally tolerated (after all that is what its all about right, tolerance?) by society. The problems start when the majority of people in Serbia find it distasteful and opposing to cultural norms there for people to assemble with the purpose of celebrating sexuality of any kind. The streets are for everybody-grandparents, toddlers, teenagers etc.

The hooligans are not any better. Both this group and the LGBT extremists are both bad for the development of Serbia. The majority of Serbian people are neither of these fringe thinking radicals. Serbs generally believe that the existence of gay people should be tolerated and protected by the law. This is why gay clubs in Serbia's largest cities have existed for years now even before 2000. That said, a sexual parade is something no community has a right too due to the conservative and Christian nature of the Serbian nation.

Tolerance is a two way street.

SCP UK. The problem with 'public opinion' is that it is often contradictory. If those who would ban parades are happy to see this hinder Serbia's EU accession then I respect their principled stand. However, you cannot be in favour of accession but against the measures that will allow this happen. Ultimately I cannot see this single issue being a deal breaker if all other conditions are met, but some countries do not need much excuse to make life hard for Serbia and they have been handed some extra ammunition.

Serbs must fear their nationalists/extremest taking them into 4 wars and losing them all during the 1990's.

Freedom for Serb Gays this way the race can't replenish it self.............

Hell yes they will keep banning it. FEAR does that. FEAR that there are gays and lesbians in Serbia and it may spread to others and OMG we cant have people like that in our country.
(tm, 27 September 2013 21:59)

Can you explain to me why USA bans advertising cigarettes to minors?

Anyways its better to spend the money that would have gone to the police to instead try healing these individuals.

Hailing from a country where gaydom is courted and condoned, I was in high spirits when I heard about the ban on the march. More and more countries fall under the spell of homosexuals. Britain, for example, by introducing anti-family legislation and by legalising gay marriage. Thank you, Serbia for this brave decision! Continue to be the master of your own fate and the captain of your own soul.

Once again I applaud Mr. Dacic. He does have balls after all.
(john, 27 September 2013 20:34)

Ha, ha, ha... You probably did not read the article, but it was precisely because Ivica did not have the balls to guarantee security that the parade was banned :) Going against the weak/small minority means being a coward.

Last night a march went ahead. The marchers were protected/escorted by the police. It was not the march that the 'pride' community wanted in respect of time and route. Neither the police, not the government, made any (real) attempt to prevent it. There were numerous 'pride' events all week that were officially 'sanctionned' and 'secured'.

And yet, the leaders of the 'pride' community and publically complaining. Why?

Could it be because this is not about their 'pride' in their sexuality?

Could it be because this is not about marching itself on the streets of Belgrade?

How can it be about human rights when the minority seem to share no compassion or consideration for the human rights of anybody not agreeing with them?

Is it, perhaps, all about politics? The politics of a minority group determined to force the majority (against their will) to accept their (the minority's) political and social demands.

I for one have no problem with another person choosing their own sexuality. I support efforts that bring public security to 'persecuted' groups. Everybody should have the right to feel safe.

I do not support attempts by minority pressure groups to impose their political and social demands upon the majority.

The problem is about rule of law and the inability of a corrupt Serbian political elite to get to grips with this.

A lot of comments here which are either pro-gay or anti-gay, either pro-Dacic or anti-Dacic and of course Albanians and Serbs have used this issue as an opportunity, again, to nit-pick at each other.
And why not? We can be and do all of those things in a free society but in a free society one should have the fundamental right to freedom of assembly and the government's job is to see to it that these fundamental rights are upheld. In this respect the government has failed and has missed an opportunity to show that threats and acts of violence will not be tolerated.
Hooligans 1. Goverment 0.

Icj- the state is protecting the weak and vulnerable. They couldn't guarantee their safety. Of course you would have been much happier with media coverage of violence against a minority on the streets of belgrade and another reason to give Serbia a hard time. That is why you are disappointed. Go promote a gay parade in Tirana, if you dare.

Proud American, 28 September 2013 18:15)
Interesting post and link, however, inaccurate it is for several reasons:
1. Comparing the activities in San Francisco which has a HUGE gay population to anywhere in the world especially homophobic areas is done only to scare people.
2. This has nothing to do with Pride parades, this is a street festival that is held yearly in a certain area of San Francisco and is not out in the general public, it is also a very sordid picture to try and portray all homosexuals this way which is not how it is.
3. This is not much different than Mardi Gras in New Orleans which has more of a heterosexual flavor to it.

With that said, I do not believe in Pride parades for pretty much the same reason as you do. It is forcing an issue in the face of people that may have personal or religious issues with it. Gay rights should be about equality and freedom from persecution. It should not be about trampling on the rights of others.

Belgrade was right in banning the parade if they are unable to guarantee safety for everyone. It would have been more detrimental for Serbia's ascension to the EU to have held the parade and had a catastrophic event.
These parades should only be held in communities that have accepted gays as equal partners not as a tool to force it.
I truly doubt the picture you tried to paint would have actually happened at a parade in Belgrade though.

Funny you forgot to include Albania. Please, show me a link were Albania ever held a pride parade? If Serbia is a backward country then there is no word to describe Albania.
(MikeC, 28 September 2013 14:57)

Wooow, Serbs have really started to change their opinion about Albanians... We've been told for years how backward the Albanians are and how Serbs are so superior.

Now we hear from you that the standard Serbs want to compare to is the Albanian standard.

'Funny you forgot to include Albania. Please, show me a link were Albania ever held a pride parade?'

Uhmmm, it seems to me that majority of Albania Proper people are actually gays as 98 per cent of KiM Albanians - at least they behave exactly like gays, apart from over- and inbreeding what makes them similar to some other creatures...

Lets be clear here, this wasn't a decision taken on the basis of the government being dictatorial rather of public opinion. Surely one should be concerned when a government doesn't listen to its people, but here we have some commenters arguing the opposite which baffles me, seeing as we tend to criticize dictatorships for this.
(SCP UK, 27 September 2013 23:12)

Tomorrow the majority of the public opinion might say that you should be burned at the stake. You and some others might argue the opposite at that point, which would baffle me because you would be burned at the stake in order to make the majority happy! Obviously, when my turn comes, I might agree with you as well, but at that point I'll be in the minority....

Dude, you're missing the basics here. Being a majority does not mean the majority is free to do whatever it wants - that is tyranny. The whole purpose of creating a state where people are organized to live together is to protect the minority and the weak. If it were for the strong/majority, people could well live in a natural state like animals where the strong/majority are guaranteed to always prevail by natural selection.

Serbia is being failed by its politicians and its police force. This is about freedom.

There will come a time when the parade will have to be held despite the limits being imposed by the political class.

There comes a time when law itself is shown to be inadequate - then protest has to take to the streets.

The government must not repeat this ban again. It must instead work to show that it is capable and organised enough to be able to police the parade properly.

Next year it must happen. The same excuses will not be adequate.

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me--
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Just stay wherever you are Ari. Hopefully you will always be in the majority wherever you are and can spend your life hating everyone else. Easy and comfortable life

@Ari Gold..then democracy is torture of minority.

That said, a sexual parade is something no community has a right too due to the conservative and Christian nature of the Serbian nation.
(Ari Gold, 28 September 2013 17:13)

Of course we all know that Serbs are real machos and the only thing they fear even more than death are the gays.

However sexual parades are not the topic of this forum. Did you have some porn site opened on another browser dear and you put the comment on the wrong site :)

I never hear about gay people being persecuted in Serbia or anywhere in the region actually? I still don't understand why a parade is needed. If it where as simple as making a statement about Human rights I could understand. However it's usually a big sex parade with people flaunting their sexual deviations.
The EU seems to be so concerned about gay parades in the Balkans however they tend to turn a blind eye to all of the Roma people that they themselves persecute and run out of their countries. Perhaps the EU should look at themselves for once and have each current member country host a Roma parade to show how accepting they are. Just as people have the right to choose their sexual orientation, a country's people as a whole have the right to choose whether or not to have a parade.

Proud American, 28 September 2013 18:15)

That wasn't a "pride parade", that was the Folsom Street Festival in San Francisco, which is, well, exactly as you show it. Not even really "gay" per se, more of a bdsm leather community event.

You may now go back to searching the internet for pictures of men having sex in public.

I never hear about gay people being persecuted in Serbia or anywhere in the region actually? I still don't understand why a parade is needed. If it where as simple as making a statement about Human rights I could understand. However it's usually a big sex parade with people flaunting their sexual deviations.
(MikeD, 1 October 2013 05:33)

Well, a sex parade is a parade of straight and gays alike... Not sure how old are you, but just FYI, straight people do sex, too :)
----------

Just as people have the right to choose their sexual orientation, a country's people as a whole have the right to choose whether or not to have a parade.
(MikeD, 1 October 2013 05:33)

Yeah, and with that logic, a country's people as whole has also the right to burn you at the stake tomorrow because the rights of a country's people as a whole are more important than your individual rights.

Ari old boy, you missed my point. The nature of the parade is not the relevant issue, it is the message that is sent to the EU by an admission (or convenient pretence) that the police and others cannot guarantee public safety. If a group of protesters threatened to attempt to disrupt a state visit by Barack Obama my guess is that security would be beefed up rather than the event being cancelled. Dacic and others are under the illusion that this 'safety first' excuse will hold water. The parade itself is not a threat to safety but those threatening to break the law in order to disrupt it.

I go back to my previous comment. Hold your principles dear by all means, I genuinely respect this, but understand that sometimes a principled stand comes with a price and the authorities in Serbia need to be prepared to pay that price.