Riots in Serbia over gay pride march by far right protestors
October 11th, 2010 - 6:22 pm ICT by Aishwarya BhattBelgrade, Oct 11 (THAINDIAN NEWS) Protesters who tried to disrupt a gay pride parade at the Serbian capital clashed with police over the weekend.
The incident at the Serbian capital Belgrade saw police throwing tear gas at the protesters in the bid to protect the parade that was organized by pro gay activists. Protesters fought back by throwing petrol bombs and stones at the police. The protesters tried to bulldoze their way through the police barricade that was mounted near where the parade was going on.
This is the first time that gay pride parade has taken place in the country’s capital since 2001. Anti-gay activists leading to violent clashes also disrupted that parade.
Witnesses say the concentration of the violence meant some nearby streets were peaceful while other streets were boiling with violence. Eyewitnesses say protesters smashed windows and demolished several structures at the city center.
The protesters were well organized and they moved in groups to several directions making their containment by the security forces difficult.
Witnesses say most of the protesters were young people who opposed the rights of the gay in the country. “I wanted to join the march to give my support but we were stopped by the police who were blocking the centre to protect the parade,” according to witness Helena Popovich.
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