By Christina Berger
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

BELGRADE, Serbia — Thousands of far-right extremists threw petrol bombs, stun grenades, and stones at police protecting a Gay Pride march in Belgrade on Sunday. The police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets. Over 100 people, mostly police, were injured and over 200 hundred arrested during the march, which was seen as a major test of Serbia’s pledge to protect minorities and human rights.

Mark Lowen of BBC News was at the scene. “As Gay Pride ended the street protests gathered pace. I stood on Terazije boulevard watching demonstrators hurl rocks at armed police, who responded with tear gas. Some officers retreated, bleeding,” he reported.

Many of the anti-gay rioters wore black and hooded tops, according to the AFP, and  shouted “death to homosexuals” as they threw Molotov cocktails, stones, and glass bottles at the police. The police estimated that 6,000 rioters faced 5,600 policemen. The rioters also fired shots and hurled Molotov cocktails at the headquarters of the ruling pro-Western Democratic Party, as well as the state TV building and headquarters of other political parties.

According to the AP, Jelko Kacin, the official heading the European Parliament’s evaluation reports on Serbia, stated that the anti-gay riots “show an elementary lack” of tolerance for minority rights in Serbia and the “inefficiency” of the state in preventing such a trend. The official further noted that a “bad message” was sent which could hurt Serbia in its bid to join the EU.

Serbian President Boric Tadic said in a statement following the riot, “Serbia will guarantee human rights for all its citizens, regardless of the differences among them, and no attempts to revoke these freedoms with violence will be allowed.”

This was the first Gay Pride march in the city since 2001. The march planned for last year was ultimately cancelled because the government said they could not guarantee the safety of the participants in light of threatened anti-gay violence.

For more information, please see:

AP — Official: Anti-gay riots send wrong message to EU — 11 October 2010

AFP — Rioters attack Serb police, ruling party HQ at Gay Pride — 10 October 2010

MSNBC — Dozens hurt, arrested in clashes at Serb gay pride march — 10 October 2010

BBC — Scores arrested in Belgrade after anti-gay riot — 10 October 2010

CNN — Serbia gay pride march attacked with bombs, stones — 10 October 2010