Belgrade Pride march organizers expect thousands of participants

Several thousand people are expected to walk through central Belgrade carrying rainbow flags during the afternoon Pride march, the main protest event of this year’s Belgrade Pride.

Matija Stefanović of the association Da se zna told Beta news agency that organizers had registered the march with police in accordance with the law. Asked about possible incidents, he said he expected police to do their part. “We are slowly preparing for the march and expect several thousand people,” Stefanović said.

The gathering is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. in Manjež Park. The procession is due to set off at 5 p.m., follow central city streets and return to the park for a concert.

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We are slowly preparing for the march and expect several thousand people.

Organizers describe the Pride march as the “protest and resistance day” of Pride Week and its most important segment. They say it gives LGBTI+ people an opportunity to publicly express their dissatisfaction with the absence of laws governing their lives, particularly discrimination and violence that remain widespread and too often go unpunished.

This year’s Belgrade Pride began on Monday under the slogan “There is room for all of us,” the same slogan used by Serbia’s first Pride event 25 years ago, which organizers call the “Bloody Pride” because of its aftermath. They recalled that hundreds of hooligans then vandalized the city center and beat a small number of participants, while police lacked the numbers and capacity to protect them.

Organizers say the same slogan now serves as a reminder that the struggle for equality is ongoing. They note that Belgrade Pride has been held regularly for more than a decade, despite the need for a strong police presence and the attempted ban on EuroPride 2022. They say none of the event’s eight demands has yet been met, including laws on same-sex partnerships and gender identity and intersex rights. Journalist Danica Vučenić of N1 is this year’s Pride Godmother, while drag performer Vlažena is the Pride Queen.

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protest and resistance day