Pride parades

The organisers of the annual Pride Parade in Ljubljana have criticised police handling of reports of violence against the LGBTIQ+ community and tepid government response after what they described as the worst hostility against the community in years.

Sofia Pride was held in the Bulgarian capital for the 16th year in a row. There was a concert in the Prince's Garden, which was followed by a peace procession.

For the first time, the event was openly supported by 11 Bulgarian families, who invited everyone to join Pride Parade as a sign of support for people from the LGBTIQ+ community.

Today, the Bulgarian capital will host the 16th edition of "Sofia Pride" in defense of the rights of the LGBTIQ+ community. Last year's event was entitled "Proud to be" and gathered nearly 15,000 people. This year, the organizers chose to focus the event on the family.

People attending the Pride Parade in Sofia, Bulgaria, 18 June 2022. Photo: EPA-EFE/VASSIL DONEV

On Thursday, the movie, telling the semi-autobiographical story of two 13-year old boys whose friendship turns sour after homophobic remarks at their school, will be screened in Sofia's Odeon hall.

A protest by extreme nationalists prevented a screening at the "Odeon" cinema on Saturday (June 10) as part of the Sofia Pride Film Fest, reported organizers from the "Deistvie" Organization. It is part of the cultural program of "Sofia Pride", the biggest event of the LGBTQ+ community in Sofia and Bulgaria. The procession will take place on June 17.

Prosecutors have pledged to identity and charge all those responsible for Saturday's violent attacks on people attending a banned EuroPride celebration

Serbian police clashed with far-right demonstrators during the EuroPride march in Belgrade yesterday afternoon, DPA reported, quoted by BTA. Several thousand people joined the parade of the LGBT community.

So far, about 150 participants of "EuroPride" have arrived, reports a reporter from the scene. There are many foreigners among those present. Many of the participants do not speak Serbian. Despite the rain, protests and a large number of police officers, both in uniform and in civilian clothes, the atmosphere is still very positive and cheerful.

Foto: Sanja Dojki/ B92

Ljubljana – LGBT organisations in Slovenia expressed their disappointment and concerns over Serbia’s recent decision to ban the EuroPride march that was supposed to take place in Belgrade this year. This shows the negligence by the current Serbian government in its treatment of social minorities, they said.

Right-wing groups urge people to prepare for protests this Saturday, saying they fear the EuroPride march may still take place - despite Tuesday's police ban.