BELGRADE, Sept 17 (Reuters) – Police clashed with right-wing protesters on Saturday as several thousand people took part in an LGBTQ march in Serbia to mark the end of EuroPride week, an event held in a different European city each year. Police clashed with two right-wing groups trying to break up the march, Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said, adding that 10 police officers were slightly injured, five police cars were damaged and 64 protesters were arrested. “I am very proud that we managed to avoid more serious incidents,” Brnabic, who is herself Serbia’s first openly gay prime minister, told reporters. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Following protests by nationalist and religious groups, the government had banned the march last week. However, faced with calls from European Union officials and human rights activists, she allowed a shortened route for the march. Anti-LGTBQ protesters shout slogans in front of St Mark’s Church during the European LGBTQ Pride march in Belgrade, Serbia, September 17, 2022. REUTERS/Zorana Jevtic read more The participants walked several hundred meters to the Tsmajdan stadium where a concert was held. The United States Ambassador to Serbia, Christopher Hill, and the European Parliament’s Special Rapporteur on Serbia, Vladimir Bilcik, joined the march. Previous Serbian governments have banned pride parades, drawing criticism from human rights groups and others. Some Pride marches in the early 2000s were met with fierce opposition and were marred by violence. But recent Pride marches in Serbia have been peaceful, a change cited by EuroPride organizers as one of the reasons Belgrade was chosen as this year’s host. Copenhagen hosted in 2021. Serbia is a candidate for EU membership but must first meet requirements to improve the rule of law and its human and minority rights record. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Reported by Ivana Sekularac. Editor: Christina Fincher Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
