• Login
  • Search:

Fri, May 24 2013

Belgrade Pride parade is ‘Sodom and Gomorrah’ says Serbian Orthodox Church

Thu, Sep 17 2009 17:03 CET

byClive Leviev-Sawyer

3798 Views
Belgrade Pride parade is ‘Sodom and Gomorrah’ says Serbian Orthodox Church

Fireworks illuminate the sky above St Marko's church in the centre of Belgrade at midnight January 14 2002.


The Serbian Orthodox Church sees the Pride Parade planned for Belgrade on September 20 2009 as equivalent to Sodom and Gomorrah, while underlining that it rejects any violence against the event.
 
Serbian authorities have vowed strict security to protect the event, with some reports suggesting that ultra-rightists and football fans plan to attack the Pride Parade.
 
The 2009 event is the second attempt at a gay pride event in Belgrade. A similar event in June 2001 was disrupted by ultra-rightists.
 
Serbia’s B92 said that organisers of the parade said that the church’s position would encourage extremist attacks, although the church said that it had never and would never call for violence against anyone.
 
The event has won expressions of support from the United States embassy, human rights groups and some individual politicians, including the country’s minister of human rights, as well as political groupings such as the liberals.
 
Serbia’s interior ministry has indicated that it could take into preventative detention anyone who intended a violent attack on participants in the parade.
 
President Boris Tadic was asked by organisers to endorse the parade but the president’s office responded that it had made its position on such matters clear by supporting Serbia’s laws against discrimination, Serbian media reported.
 

  • Print
  • Send via email
  • Translate to
  • Share:

To post comments, please, Login or Register.


Please read the The Sofia Echo forum comments policy.

Rights commissioner speaks out on gay pride events in Central and Eastern Europe

Events to promote equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people have been banned or subject to threats and violence in Moscow, Bratislava, Vilnius and Chisinau, and Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg says the European Court has ruled that states are obliged to protect peaceful gatherings.

Kremlin ties to Orthodox Church raise concern

Human-rights activists say 2009 represented a breakthrough in relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian government. But they say the closer ties appear to place other faiths at a disadvantage.

Death of gay activist brings Turkey's attitude toward gays into focus

For 26-year-old Ahmet Yildiz, the choice to live openly as a gay man in Turkey proved deadly.

At cross purposes

Dynamics within and among churches in the Balkans reflect the politics of the region

Serbian police red-flag president Tadic for drinking bubbly at football match

A celebratory sip of champagne at a 2010 football World Cup qualifier could cost Serbian president Boris Tadic a fine for violating anti-hooliganism laws against drinking at football matches.

Authorities pledge protection for Serbian gay pride parade

September 20 2009 event planned against background of homophobic graffiti and memories of a 2001 event that ended in turmoil.

Rainbow Friendship 2009 without incidents

Despite a modest turnout, those who participated in the Rainbow Friendship parade 2009 had something to celebrate when they reached the Red House.

Rainbow Friendship supported by 2 local political organisations - organisers

At a media conference on the morning of the second Rainbow Friendship parade, organisers said the parade had the support of 11 foreign embassies and two local political organisations.

More religious leaders want the Rainbow Friendship march banned

Four religious communities join Bulgarian Christian Orthodox church and the country's Muslim community in their calls for a ban on the Rainbow Friendship march scheduled for June 27

US ambassador backs Rainbow Friendship Rally

Nancy McEldowney becomes second Western ambassador, after the UK’s Steve Williams, to issue a statement of support for Bulgaria’s second gay pride parade.

Rainbow Friendship Rally draws support from British ambassador

Steve Williams, British ambassador to Bulgaria, sent out a statement unequivocally supporting the upcoming second gay pride parade in Sofia.

More in this category

Czech Republic, Romania mull shale gas moratoriums

Governments in Prague and Bucharest could soon join Sofia in instituting temporary moratoriums on shale gas exploration.

Serbia: Tadić leads as presidential elections head for second round

Coalition around ruling Democratic Party has largest share of vote in Serbia's parliamentary election, according to exit polls.

Greek voters punish major centre-right, socialist parties at polls

Centre-right New Democracy is said by exit polls to have largest share of votes, but diminished even from its 2009 defeat, while socialists Pasok – the 2009 victors – gets somewhere around 14 to 17 per cent.

Deal on OSCE role in Serbian elections welcomed

An agreement reached with the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) will allow voters with dual citizenship in Kosovo to vote in the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections in Serbia.

Macedonia arrests 20 suspected terrorists

Twenty radical Muslims suspected of being members of a terrorist group that has been linked to the murder of five fishermen in early April.

© 2000-2013, Sofia Echo Media Ltd.

Web Design by RIZN

Sofia Echo Media is part of the Economedia Group.
The news and information content on this website is provided by our editorial team and is copyrighted. Any unauthorised reproduction or use of it is strictly forbidden. Reproduction of this website's content is permitted only with prior written permission from the Editor-in-Chief, should be propertly acredited and provide an active link back to our site. Comments posted by the website's visitors are independent of the editorial materials and do not represent the views of sofiaecho.com. Sofia Echo Media cannot be held responsible for the statements contained in visitor comments. The percentаge change in the shares' prices are based on the price of the last transaction of the current session compared to the price of the last transaction of the previous session. Bulgarian Stock Exchange data is not real-time, but updated every 15 minutes, and should not be used as a basis for decisions about buying or selling stock options.