Hundreds of Pride activists gathered in Belgrade, Serbia, over the weekend, facing a significant police presence and vocal anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment perpetuated by both the country’s conservative leadership and far-right groups. This gathering comes in the wake of last year’s LGBTQ+ event, which was marred by skirmishes between police and anti-Pride groups who deem the event contrary to traditional Serbian Christian Orthodox values.
Under banners proclaiming messages like “We Are Not Even Close,” alluding to the current status of the LGBTQ+ population in Serbia, and “Queer Liberation, not Rainbow Capitalism,” participants marched through central Belgrade, met by a heavy police presence in riot gear. Simultaneously, approximately 50 anti-gay protesters, accompanied by Orthodox priests, displayed religious icons outside a downtown church as the Pride event participants passed by.
While the country’s populist president, Aleksandar Vucic, vowed not to approve any law permitting same-sex marriages or partnerships during the 11th consecutive Pride event in Serbia, Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, Serbia’s first openly gay politician, has been largely silent on LGBTQ+ rights in the country. However, the embassies and representative offices of 25 countries and the European Union delegation in Serbia jointly issued a statement expressing support for Pride values and the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals, despite Serbia’s shifting alignment towards Russia and its anti-Western policies under Vucic’s leadership.
As Pride activists continue to challenge entrenched opposition and push for greater LGBTQ+ rights in Serbia, their resilience sends a powerful message of acceptance, inclusion, and diversity to the nation and the world.