The LGBTQ community gathered on Saturday afternoon in Belgrade under high police protection despite the ban on a Europride march by the authorities, who arrested around thirty people.
The parade is supposed to be the high point of this pan-European event which takes place every year in a different city.
But Serbia's Interior Ministry banned it on Tuesday, citing security concerns as far-right groups threatened to stage their own protests after a series of counter-Pride in the capital.
Read alsoLGBT rights: Brussels cracks down on Budapest
“
I have been to several Prides, but this one is slightly more stressful than the others
,” Yasmin Benoit, a model and activist, told AFP in front of the Constitutional Council, the place planned for the rally.
“
I'm from the UK where everyone is more supportive.
"
We are fighting for the future of this country
," said Luka, a Serbian protester who declined to give his last name.
Large riot police force
It was unclear whether protesters would be allowed to proceed as they had planned to a nearby park, with Interior Minister Aleksandar Vulin warning against any unlawful march.
“
We will not tolerate any violence in the streets of Belgrade, nor illegal marches
,” he said in a statement.
Read alsoThousands of people marched against Europride in Belgrade
Large riot police were deployed around the rally and were repelling small groups of counter-protesters brandishing crosses and religious insignia, AFP journalists reported.
The Home Office had also banned counter-demonstrations, but in far-right chat groups, users had vowed to protest Pride.
According to the ministry, 31 people were arrested.
The authorities did not specify who it was, but AFP journalists saw several counter-protesters being arrested.
International pressures
The march ban had caused consternation among rights NGOs.
It is a "
shameful surrender, and the implicit consecration of intolerance and threats of unlawful violence
," according to Graeme Reid, director of the LGBT rights program at Human Rights Watch.
Belgrade has been the subject of intense international pressure - more than 20 embassies, including those of the United States, France, Germany or Japan, having called on it in a joint statement to reverse its decision.
Read alsoLGBT rights: the Twenty-Seven put pressure on Orban
Serbia has been a candidate for membership of the European Union for a decade but member states have raised concerns over its rights record over the years.
Gay marriage is not legal in this country of less than 7 million inhabitants, where homophobia is deeply rooted despite some progress against discrimination.
