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Aleksandar Vucic
Photo: Darko Vojinovic / AP / picture alliance / dpa
The Serbian government has canceled the Europride parade planned for September 17 in Belgrade, in which people wanted to demonstrate for the rights of non-heterosexuals.
The organizers announced that the move would still take place.
The government has no right to ban it.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić justified the decision with current crises in the country - including the dispute with neighboring Kosovo.
In agreement with the government of Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, who herself lives with a woman, it was decided to cancel the parade.
"The state cannot cancel Europride," said Marko Mihailovic, one of the Pride organizers, on Twitter, "it can only try to ban it, which would be a clear violation of the constitution." There are clear judgments by the Constitutional Court on this .
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Right-wing extremist organizations and representatives of the Serbian Orthodox Church had previously stirred up opposition to the event.
Europride has been organized in different European capitals every summer since 1992.
Serbia should now have been the first stop in south-eastern Europe.
skr/AFP/dpa
