Tension was high in the Serbian capital as ultra-nationalist fans hurled stun grenades, stones and flares at a police cordon, which repelled the attack with batons and riot shields. Hundreds of Pride march supporters, meanwhile, gathered a few kilometers away in the pouring rain, dancing and singing as their march took a shortened route. “We need justice and freedom,” said Goran Miletic, one of the organizers of the Pride event. Although many pride marches have taken place in Serbia in recent years, the Slavic nation that is officially seeking European Union membership appears to be drifting toward Russia and its conservative traditions. Holding rainbow flags, hundreds of LGBTQ activists and their supporters marched through a central area of Belgrade sealed off by police who erected metal fences and stood on cordons in full riot gear. People attend a Pride march in Belgrade on Saturday. (Zorana Jevtic/Reuters) US Ambassador Christopher Hill was among the participants. Hill told regional television N1 that “we are all brothers and children of God.” “It’s an important day for equality and an important day for this country,” he said. As the column passed through a church in central Belgrade, bells rang continuously, reflecting the Serbian Orthodox Church’s staunch opposition to Pride events. The marchers then headed to a concert. Earlier, Serbian activists said the main reason for the march is to fight for more rights for the beleaguered LGBTQ community in Serbia, including laws that would regulate gay rights such as inheritance, property and other issues. Pride marchers walk past an Orthodox church in Belgrade on Saturday. (Andrej Isakovic/AFP/Getty Images) Serbian police this week banned the march, citing the risk of clashes with far-right activists. But organizers said on Saturday they had received assurances from Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, who is a lesbian, that the event could go ahead. Brnabic said she was proud that during “this whole week, with more than 130 (LGBTQ) events, there was not a single incident. And this is really the right image of Belgrade and Serbia.” Brnabic said 5,200 police officers were deployed on the streets of Belgrade during the Pride march, 64 people were arrested and 10 officers were visually injured. Anti-Pride protesters clashed with police in Belgrade on Saturday. (Oliver Bunic/AFP/Getty Images) A far-right party leader said Brnabic should have been arrested and charged with treason for allowing the march to take place. The European Union of Pride Organizers chose the Serbian capital three years ago to host the annual event, hoping it would represent a breakthrough for a traditionally conservative Slavic country heavily influenced by the Orthodox Church. The EU and other Western officials, as well as rights groups, had urged populist Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to allow the Pride march, but Vucic had claimed police could not deal with potential riots by right-wing groups amid the energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine.
