MoJ calls for ban on extremist groups

The Justice Ministry will work towards the disbandment and outlawing of all groups that propagate violence, says the ministry's State Secretary Slobodan Homen. Homen told B92 that the Justice Ministry and the prosecution had already begun the process of outlawing the neo-Nazi group Nacionalni Stroj (tr. National Formation). MoJ calls for ban on extremist groups At the start of this year, the prosecution petitioned the Constitutional Court to outlaw the organization for spreading neo-Nazi ideas. Homen said that the cancellation of the Pride Parade did not mean that the country had lost the struggle for democratic freedom. “The question was whether someone was stronger than the state. Of course, no one is. Did they kill our prime minister? Yes. Did we lose this battle? Yes, but the war goes on. It is important to learn a lesson, because this problem is not unique to Serbia,” Homen said. Human and Minority Rights Minister Svetozar Ciplic said that the cancellation of the Pride Parade was a defeat for society, not the state. “If we’d all stood our ground, we would all be winners today, and not those who did not come to the battle. Despite the fact that they thought that it would have been a personal loss for them if it had been at Plato and not Usce, it would have been wiser for all the activists and the promotion of freedom to have held the event,” Ciplic said. Dragana Vuckovic of the Pride Parade organizational committee said that no state guarantees regarding security had been given, even if it had been agreed to have the parade at Usce. She said that she was thankful to the president and government for their support, but that the support had arrived too late. “It is sad that the mayor reacts and explicitly speaks out against violence when a foreign citizen is brutally beaten, but ten days ago, no-one reacted when hooligans jumped on to a bus going from Ada Ciganilja to the center and assaulted a girl,” she said. The Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia stated that “the cancellation of the Pride Parade in Belgrade is scandalous,” adding that in the build-up to the event, the security services and media had staged a scare campaign to sabotage the Pride Parade. Slobodan Homen (B92)

MoJ calls for ban on extremist groups

At the start of this year, the prosecution petitioned the Constitutional Court to outlaw the organization for spreading neo-Nazi ideas.

Homen said that the cancellation of the Pride Parade did not mean that the country had lost the struggle for democratic freedom.

“The question was whether someone was stronger than the state. Of course, no one is. Did they kill our prime minister? Yes. Did we lose this battle? Yes, but the war goes on. It is important to learn a lesson, because this problem is not unique to Serbia,” Homen said.

Human and Minority Rights Minister Svetozar Ćiplić said that the cancellation of the Pride Parade was a defeat for society, not the state.

“If we’d all stood our ground, we would all be winners today, and not those who did not come to the battle. Despite the fact that they thought that it would have been a personal loss for them if it had been at Plato and not Ušce, it would have been wiser for all the activists and the promotion of freedom to have held the event,” Ćiplić said.

Dragana Vučković of the Pride Parade organizational committee said that no state guarantees regarding security had been given, even if it had been agreed to have the parade at Ušće.

She said that she was thankful to the president and government for their support, but that the support had arrived too late.

“It is sad that the mayor reacts and explicitly speaks out against violence when a foreign citizen is brutally beaten, but ten days ago, no-one reacted when hooligans jumped on to a bus going from Ada Ciganilja to the center and assaulted a girl,” she said.

The Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia stated that “the cancellation of the Pride Parade in Belgrade is scandalous,” adding that in the build-up to the event, the security services and media had staged a scare campaign to sabotage the Pride Parade.