Pride caravan wraps up in Šabac amid threats, Loznica event cut short by attack

The final two events of this year’s Pride caravan, organized by the association Da se zna! (Let It Be Known) under the slogan “There Is Room for All of Us,” took place on Tuesday in the western Serbian towns of Šabac and Loznica in a tense atmosphere.

“In the days leading up to our arrival in Šabac and Loznica, our activists were exposed to hundreds of threats of violence and death. Due to the security risk and the gathering of extremist and far-right groups, both events had to be shortened,” the association said in a statement.

In Šabac, the event was held under a heavy police presence and ended without physical incidents, though organizers say it was accompanied by constant heckling, homophobic chants and gestures of hate.

In Loznica, the gathering was cut short just minutes after it began, when a firecracker was thrown at the activists and a man charged at them attempting a physical attack. Footage published by Serbian media shows police holding back a group of men trying to reach the participants.

Da se zna! called on the police and prosecutors to identify everyone involved in the violence without delay and to press criminal charges.

This year’s caravan visited six Serbian towns ahead of Belgrade Pride. Despite a ban in Pirot, stones thrown in Kraljevo and tensions in Zaječar, activists say they are not backing down.

“We are closing this year’s Pride caravan with a message: until there is room for every one of us in this society, in every town and on every square, this society cannot truly move forward,” the statement said.

Belgrade Pride takes place on September 5.

Source: Danas. English adaptation: gay-serbia.com.