Euro Commission Tells EU Applicants to Respect GLBT Rights

GLBT rights are a prominent topic in the European Commission’s Oct. 14 progress reports on the seven countries that are planning to join the European Union: Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia and Kosovo.

The reports recommend that the nations adopt GLBT anti-discrimination laws and policies that meet EU requirements and, in the two nations that have passed such laws — Croatia and Serbia — that GLBT people be protected against discrimination “in practice.” The commission was particularly critical of Serbia, where the Belgrade gay pride parade was canceled Sept. 19 after the prime minister told organizers that police could not protect marchers from violent anti-gay hooligans who planned to attack the event.

The commission also criticized Turkey for violating gay activists’ rights to freedom of expression and association.

More at: Bay Windows!

There is No Gay Pride in Serbia

After repeated threats of violence from extremist groups, Serbian authorities banned a gay pride parade that was suppose to take place in Belgrade today.

Parade organizers have said the interior ministry told them their event was too risky and security could not be guaranteed, so the event would be prohibited.

The organizers were offered an alternative location, but they refused.

One of the lead oranizers, Dusan Kosanovic stated at a press conference:

“It was not a legal ban, but it was an actual ban. The parade will not happen.”

The biggest worry of the Serbian government was came directly from pressure by several extremist groups who were threatening to repeat the brutal violence which ended Serbia’s only Gay Pride event held in Belgrade eight years ago.

Mladen Obradovic of the extremist nationalist movement ‘Obraz’ stated:

“Everyone knows what will happen if they go ahead with that parade of shame and the organizers will be responsible.”

So, rather than defending the GLBT effort, the Serbian government opted to ban the event.  What really floors me about this is the statement that event organizers would be responsible for violence.  How can you be responsible for an action that someone else committed?

Serbia’s President Promises to Protect Gay Parade

Serbia’s president promised to protect hundreds of gay and human rights activists on Sunday when they stage the first gay pride parade in the capital since a similar march in 2001 ended in violent clashes.

Ultranationalist groups and hooligans have threatened to attack the march, and police are deploying around 5,000 policemen in central Belgrade and advising participants to stay with the group.

“The state will do everything to protect all its citizens regardless of their religious, sexual or political affiliation,” President Boris Tadic said in a statement on Friday.

It will be the first public event staged by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activists since 2001, when dozens of gay activists and policemen were injured in clashes with nationalists, neo-Nazis and soccer hooligans.

Read more at: Reuters!