Serbia opposition, rights groups condemn EuroPride decision

By DUSAN STOJANOVIC
Associated Press

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Opposition parties in Serbia and international rights groups have denounced a decision by populist President Aleksandar Vucic to cancel next month’s pan-European LGBTQ EuroPride events because of what he said were threats from right-wing extremists. Most of the groups said Sunday that they would ignore the ban announced Saturday by Vucic and go ahead with the Sept. 12-18 events scheduled in Belgrade. Vucic said that a political crisis with Serbia’s former breakaway province of Kosovo and economic problems facing the country amid Russia’s war in Ukraine were among the reasons why the Balkan nation’s authorities couldn’t handle EuroPride.