Values cannot be banned - Statement condemning the declaration of the Serbian government to cancel the Europride
Budapest, Hungary - 27/08/2022
The Rainbow Platform openly rejects the declaration of President Aleksandar Vucic on canceling the Europride scheduled for September 17th in Belgrade, Serbia.
The intentions of the Serbian president are unacceptable and unjustifiable, considering that the Serbian Constitutional court has previously declared unconstitutional the bans of Pride parades in Serbia in 2011, 2012, and 2013. As a candidate country for accession to the European Union, the Serbian government is demonstrating a lack of commitment to European values by responding to the pressure of the Orthodox Church and right-wing groups calling for a ban. The poor acknowledgment of President Vucic to the rights of minority groups while acceding to restrain their right to peaceful assembly should not be overseen.
The Rainbow Platform, along with the LGBTI Liberals of Europe, is already planning an event in the framework of the EuroPride in Belgrade between September 12th and 17th with participants from different political liberal parties. Our liberal initiative is not intimidated by this unfair act and will keep working with our political partners in Serbia to fight against the unequal treatment of any minority group.
We call for immediate reconsideration of the Vucic government to allow the parade and the whole program to take place in a safe and secure environment for all Europeans planning to attend.
Members of the liberal political family are invited to co-sign this statement and to condemn in their own voice the declared ban on the EuroPride in Serbia. Our liberal political partner in Serbia, Pokret Slobodnih građana, PSG/Movement of Free Citizens, has already issued a statement available below in Serbian:
“Restrikcija struje možda neće biti, ali restrikcija prava se uveliko sprovodi. Ukoliko se radujete otkazivanju Prajda samo imajte jednu stvar u vidu: i vi ste u nečemu drugačiji i u nekom pogledu ste manjina, a živite u državi koja ne može da vas zaštiti.
Ana Brnabić, predsednica Vlade u prethodnom mandatu nije ništa učinila za poboljšanje uslova života i prava LGBT populacije u Srbiji, kojoj i sama pripada, a sada praktično započinje novi mandat tako što nam saopštava da država Srbija nema snage da sačuva bezbednost svojih građana.
Pokret slobodnih građana planirao je učešće u najavljenom Europrajdu i pozivamo sve građanske organizacije da se suprotstavimo najavljenoj zabrani.”
Co-signed by:
PSG, Serbia
Radical Movement, France
VVD, NL
D66, NL
Progressive Slovakia, SK
Laisves Partija, Lithuania
Liberal Democrats, UK
CenterPartiet, Sweden
Latvijas attīstībai, Latvia
Nowoczesna, Poland
Momentum, Hungary
Fianna Fáil, Ireland
