Prime Minister Vučić faces verbal ambush at LSE talk to confirm Serbia’s EU ambitions
Criminal accusations and claims of political wrongdoing appeared to be calculated to highjack a keynote address by Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić on his country’s commitment to joining the European Union.
Speaking to a packed auditorium at the London School of Economics, the Prime Minister faced allegations hollered from the stalls by woman accusing Mr Vučić of personally issuing a death threat to the controversial President of the Serbian Republican Party, Nikola Sandulović.
Mr Sandulović was sat beside her waving a CD of recordings that could allegedly prove his claims, while event moderator struggled to regain control of the event.
The ill-mannered verbal ambush by this disgruntled political opponent and his legal representative could not derail Prime Minister Vučić from his message that Serbia is committed to the EU and is taking whatever difficult steps might be necessary to achieve his goals for Serbia.
No price is too high for pride in one’s country
As rumours and half-truths spread about the claimed cost of policing the Belgrade Pride parade, it would seem inevitable – and, no doubt, will be embraced in some quarters – for people to be up in arms about the amount of money allegedly spent to protect the people and their city.
While no official figures have been released, some media have reported unqualified estimates of €1 million to Belgrade’s coffers.
Pride organisers have laughed off this claim as ludicrous, believing that this figure is being bandied around for political purposes, to rile up those opposed to the parade and to stoke negative feeling towards the LGBT community.
Pride organisers say that this estimated figure includes a staggeringly exaggerated €600k for loss of trade to restaurants, bars and shops.
Police strikes and religious rhetoric cannot crush Serbian Pride
With the democratic rights of Serbia’s LGBT community effectively held to ransom by Belgrade’s police force, the fate of the controversial Pride Parade hangs in the balance once more.
The Serbian state, Orthodox Church and extremists have successfully crushed the Pride Parade in recent years.
The authorities could have been handed the justification to pull the plug on Sunday’s parade, too, thanks to opportunely-timed strike action being threatened by Belgrade police unions.
While police claim they will step in to protect the city if called upon, they have presented a perfect excuse for authorities that have previously used security issues to ban the gathering. Whether they choose to use their power to block the parade remains to be seen.
Gay hate jeopardised film about Serbia’s ‘lost’ generation
A film about the failings of Serbia’s education system for the country’s so-called ‘lost’ generation was nearly halted by homophobia among its young Belgrade cast, provocative director Stevan Filipović said.
The prominent Serbian director is no stranger to controversy, having received death threats and faced reprisals after the high-profile release of Skinning (Šišanje), his notorious portrayal of the rising threat of neo Nazis in Belgrade.
Even that could not prepare him for the prejudice and ignorance when casting a young gay role in his new film, Next to Me (Pored mene).
“Living in Serbia, I did expect problems with the teen gay roles in Next to Me, but nothing could have prepared me for what was in store,’ he told Wild Rooster.
