Gay Prejudice Shames Serbia, Harry Potter Actress Says
A rising tide of high profile international voices has spoken out in support of next month’s Belgrade Pride Parade (Saturday, October 6). Among the growing messages of support and encouragement to Serbia’s LGBT community as they prepare to take to the streets in a peaceful act of solidarity against prejudice and bullying in their country, some leading stars of stage and screen have gone on to scold Serbian authorities for the country’s black history of gay rights.
Recalling the Serbian government ban that was slapped on last year’s planned gathering of gay people, their friends and families, admired British actress Miriam Margolyes issued a damning statement on the country’s human rights record. “It is intolerable that anywhere in the world, prejudice against gay people should be upheld by a government,’ she said. “Shame on Serbia to permit such a thing.
Serbian Film Directors Speak Up For LGBT Rights
Leading lights from Serbia’s artistic community have joined a growing list of international celebrities to pledge their backing to Belgrade Pride. Serbian actress-turned-director Mirjana Karanović and film-maker Stevan Filipović have been among the first to come forward to support the week-long series of events, which will culminate in a planned parade through Belgrade’s city centre on Saturday, 6 October.
As a campaigner for human rights and freedoms, Serbian director Stevan Filipović (Skinning/Šišanje) has been critical of the way his country’s authorities slapped an undemocratic ban on Belgrade Pride in 2011, following years of violent attacks and bullying for gay people. He is fearful that former ultra-nationalist President Tomislav Nikolic and his regime will be unwilling to step up for the rights of all Serbians to gather in peace, which will paint Serbia in a negative light.
Will Rights or Riots Triumph in Belgrade?
After the human rights sham(e) of the Serbian government’s eleventh hour decision to ban Belgrade Pride 2011, there is concern that the country could be on the brink of flouting international conventions again this year. If the authorities do buckle under pressure from agitators and right-wing groups, it could bring the government into conflict with the Council of Europe over the fundamental right of assembly. Serbia’s own Constitutional Court might take issue with it, too.
When the government cited security issues for the last minute cancellation of last year’s event (although nobody has been charged with any associated crime) it was humiliated for being unable to protect people on the streets of its own capital. It was also seen to be riding roughshod over the country’s constitution and received widespread international condemnation for its inability to defend human rights.
Transatlantic Screenings For Serbian Documentary With A Message Of Peace
When two fighting men crossed paths over the skies of Yugoslavia nobody could have guessed that it would set in motion a series of events that have seen two families becoming firm friends. By orchestrating emotional meetings between a Serbian baker and a former US airman and capturing them on film, Serbian documentary maker Željko Mirković has produced a film that is grounded in a message of reconciliation.
The Second Meeting, which will have pre-premiere screenings in Belgrade (21 September) and New York (October), is a film about the touching reunion and shared memories of a US F117A stealth pilot Dale Zelko and the Yugoslav missile colonel Zoltan Dani who shot him down over Yugoslavia on March 27, 1999. The plane crashed and everyone had a chance to see for themselves, and live. Thankfully, the pilot ejected and was successfully evacuated eight hours later.
