Hundreds of gay and lesbian activists and supporters marched through Sarajevo, as the Bosnian capital hosted its first LGBT “pride” parade, amid a heavy police presence and threats of violence and counterdemonstrations.
The September 8 march — being held under the slogan “Ima izac!” which roughly means “Wanna come out!”– kicked off after participants were screened by police.
The September 8 march — being held under the slogan “Ima izac!” which roughly means “Wanna come out!”– kicked off after participants were screened by police.
Many marchers wore rainbow T-shirts, and beat drums and blew whistles. Others carried rainbow flags and signs that read “United In Differences” and chanted “Death to fascism, freedom to the people!”
The march was a first for the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina, which is deeply conservative and the only successor state to the former Yugoslavia to have never hosted a “pride” parade. Sarajevo has tried to hold LGBT events in the past, including a film festival in 2014, but those were disrupted by gay-rights opponents.
“The parade is important so that one day my partner and I can get the marriage that we did in Croatia recognized” in Bosnia, said Sasa Gavric, a former director of the Sarajevo Open Center, a human rights organization.
Local media reported more than 1,000 participants had joined the march, and an equal number of police officers providing security.
When organizers announced plans for the march in April, they were met with scorn from some conservative groups and concern about security — including one call for barriers to go up in the capital.
The Office of the High Representative, an international institution to ensure aspects of the 1995 peace accord, called on authorities “to take every appropriate measure to enable this peaceful assembly to take place without interruption and without participants fearing violence.”
“There is no reason why [Bosnia-Herzegovina] should be left behind as the only country in the region where the LGBT community is not able to hold a peaceful gathering,” the institution said on September 6.
Fears of a backlash were exacerbated by violence at past LGBT events in 2008 and 2014 that were targeted by Islamists and conservative activists.
A group called Sjetlo (Light) Association that opposes the march organized a “traditional family day” rally on September 7 for the same planned route as the LGBT march.
Other apparent efforts to thwart the LGBT march included a local religious professor who received a permit for a demonstration in a nearby Sarajevo neighborhood for the same time.
There were rumors of other events also planned to counter the LGBT rally.
The pride march organizers said they hoped to draw participants from neighboring Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, and other countries in the region, which is still scarred by lingering ethnic violence that followed the breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s.
The European Union delegation and U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo have expressed support for the march.
.S. Ambassador Eric Nelson, who is openly gay, issued a video message wishing the event well and touting its message of “equal human rights for all.” Nelson also pledged he would participate in the march.
Pride organizers said no accompanying entertainment was planned. That’s a departure from similar LGBT events in Europe, including places like Kyiv and Tbilisi which have also had pride events marred by tension and violence.
The march was scheduled to start at an eternal flame to the victims of the 1992-95 Bosnian War and end at the parliament building, about 1 1/2 kilometers away.
Pride marchers will be asked to pass through a police checkpoint at a lone entrance to the procession before the gate is closed at noon.
Wary of counterdemonstrators and other potential backlash, organizers urged participants to arrive early and avoid displaying “any identifiable LGBTIQ features before entering the secure area,” saying rainbow banners and other materials will be available once inside.
Discrimination is banned under Bosnian law but LGBT people routinely face harassment and even violence that frequently goes unpunished.
Written by RFE/RL correspondent Andy Heil based on RFE/RL Balkan Service material
Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036
