Serbian authorities ban Pride Parade

BELGRADE -- The National Security Council decided on Friday afternoon to ban all gatherings this weekend, including the gay Pride Parade, B92 has learned.

Anti-gay graffiti in Belgrade (B92)

The National Security Council has assessed that national security would be seriously jeopardized if the Pride Parade was held.

Interior Minister Ivica Dačić said earlier Friday that police would ban the upcoming Pride Parade if the organizers did not cancel it.

B92 has learned that police security assessments showed that extremists were planning on creating disturbances in several parts of Belgrade in order to weaken police forces, burning down ruling coalition parties’ headquarter.

“Police cannot support holding of all this gatherings for security reasons, because there will be clashes, victims, blood and we will end up a huge chaos,” the interior minister pointed out.

“The Parade should be held but it would be canceled in all countries if there is concern that there could be bigger problems than holding of the Parade and that bigger incidents could happen,” Dačić stressed earlier today.

Belgrade Mayor Dragan Đilas called on the organizers on Thursday to call off all gatherings and rallies scheduled for this weekend in Belgrade.

The interior minister stated on Thursday that the security situation in Serbia was more complex now than it had been several weeks ago, which was why the Pride Parade or any other gathering should not be held in Belgrade on Sunday.

The Pride Parade organizers said earlier today that they would not cancel the parade.