Pride march in Serbia condemns police violence at antigovernment rallies

A Pride march in central Belgrade has decried police brutality against antigovernment demonstrators in Serbia, following 10 months of sustained protests against right-wing populist President Aleksandar Vucic.

The event, which passed without incident on Saturday, also offered support to the university students who are leading nationwide calls for snap elections, a demand Vucic continues to brush off.

“We cannot close our eyes at what’s happening in our country,” said the Pride march organisers, who cited police violence and the arrest of protesters.

“Pride won’t take part in creating a semblance of normalcy,” they added, noting that this year’s Pride march was itself a protest.

At the gathering in the centre of the Serbian capital, participants held banners, including one that read “Gays against police state!”

The country’s student-led protest movement began in November, when 16 people were killed after a train station roof collapsed in the northern city of Novi Sad.

Demonstrators have blamed the tragedy on entrenched corruption, with their initial request for a transparent investigation morphing into demands for new elections.

The first nine months of nationwide demonstrations largely took place peacefully, before violent clashes broke out in mid-August. Since then, dozens of civilians and police officers have sustained injuries across the country.

Late on Friday, thousands of protesters gathered in Novi Sad for speeches before marching towards the city’s university campus.

Police used tear gas and stun grenades to break up the march, with students accusing them of launching “brutal attacks on their own citizens”.

Interior Minister Ivica Dacic told the state-run RTS on Saturday that 13 police officers were injured as a result of a “massive and brutal attack” by demonstrators, 42 of whom were detained.

Speaking about the incident on Friday, Vucic claimed protesters were attempting to “threaten the stability and security of Serbia” and “occupy the university premises in Novi Sad”.

“People in Serbia should know that the state is stronger than anyone … that will always be the case,” he said.