Montenegro Police Brace for Second Gay Pride

The Montenegrin capital will host its second Gay Pride parade this Sunday, in spite of the violent attacks on activists that marred the first-ever parade in the country last year.

Gay activists will walk the same route as last year, after police estimated that the 1,400-foot-long trail in the centre of Podgorica was easiest to secure.

Police have already drawn up a security plan for the event. Some 1,800 police will be deployed in five rings of security in the area near the former government headquarters.

Due to the high security risk, the street in the centre of the capital will be closed to traffic several hours prior to the walk on Sunday.

Durnig the first Pride march, last October, more than 500 protesters, mostly football hooligans, hurled rocks and bottles in an attempt to disrupt the march by several dozen gay activists.

Queer Montenegro, the organizer of the event, says the march will only cost about 9,000 euros as most of the work is being handled by volunteers.

...