Sat, Nov 21 2009

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

Thu, Sep 17 2009 17:03 CET byClive Leviev-Sawyer 1348 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.
 

Write comment

Name:Comment:

Generate new code
Send your comment
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

Macedonia offers olive branch to Bulgaria

Under pressure from Brussels on the name issue dispute with Greece, Skopje seeks to re-build relationship with with Sofia.

Kosovo’s governing coalition breaks up – reports

Parties that governed together in Pristina fall out because of their battle in Kosovo’s local government elections.

Regional fallout from Macedonia name dispute

Media reports say that the EU will pressure Athens and Skopje to come up with a solution to the Macedonia name dispute by December 7, or Brussels will take a cooler approach to Macedonia’s EU hopes; while a row breaks out in Belgrade after Serbia’s foreign minister takes sides in the dispute.

A special purpose base

Russia’s planned humanitarian base in Serbia could hold deeper strategic interests

Renewed bank re-assurances for Romania despite stalled bailout-mandated reforms

The IMF has withdrawn its mission, which was due to assess Romania's compliance with the terms of the bailout, and now expects Romania to miss the fiscal deficit target set by the bailout agreement.

© 2000-2009, 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.