The European nation of Serbia canceled an upcoming EuroPride event after outraged Serbians took to the streets to voice their displeasure over it.
More than 50,000 Christians in the country gathered in the capital Belgrade on Aug. 28 to protest against the aforementioned event, which would celebrate LGBT debauchery in the entirety of Europe from Sept. 12 to 18. Members of the Serbian Orthodox Church held signs denouncing Euro Pride and called for its permanent prohibition.
The protesters held signs that said "Keep your hands off our children" and "Save our children and family." Another sign spotted during the event said: "We don't want a gay parade and occupation by the West." The demonstrators also chanted slogans such as "hands off our children" and "stop the parade of shame."
The strongest rebuke against EuroPride came from Bishop Nikanor Bogunovic of Banat. He warned that those attending the LGBT event would "flaunt and desecrate the city of Belgrade, the holy Serbian city."
"I will curse all those who organize and participate in something like that," said the Orthodox prelate. "If I had a weapon, I would use it. I would use that force if only I had it, but I do not."
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced on the same day that the EuroPride event would be canceled, citing pressure from "right-wing groups" and the Serbian Orthodox Church. Vucic remarked that while he was not thrilled with the decision, pushing through with the event was not feasible given the current political climate.
"It is not a question of whether [those pressures] are stronger," explained the Serbian leader. "It's just that at some point you can't achieve everything, and that's it."
The EuroPride festival has been annually hosted by a different European city since its inception in 1992 – that is, until the Aug. 28 protests and the event's subsequent cancellation as announced by Vucic.
LGBT organizers insist on pushing through with event
The European Pride Organizers Association (EPOA) denounced Vucic's decision to cancel EuroPride in Belgrade, saying that any ban would violate articles of the European Convention of Human Rights – which Serbia ratified.
"The right to hold [EuroPride] has been ruled by the European Court of Human Rights to be a fundamental human right," the group said in a statement. "Any attempt to 'ban' a Pride [march] is a breach of Articles 11, 13 and 14 of the European Convention of Human Rights."
EPOA added that EuroPride in Belgrade "will not be canceled and will bring together thousands of LGBTI+ people from across Europe with LGBTI+ people from Serbia and the wider western Balkans. It will bring many millions of [Serbian dinari] into the local economy, and allow Serbia to show that it is on the road to being a progressive, welcoming European nation."
"What Serbian authorities must do is stand firm against these bullies and protect the event," the statement added. (Related: LGBT protesters demand more financial "aid" and weapons to Ukraine so Mariupol can host a Pride parade.)
Francoise Jacob, the United Nations resident coordinator in Serbia, also criticized the country's ban on EuroPride. "It would go against Serbia's international human rights commitments," she said in a statement.
Writing for the Western Journal, contributor Isa Cox put in her two cents on the EuroPride ban. She zeroed in on the LGBT ideology, which she denounced as a "sick and twisted ideological colonialism … imposing progressive, atheistic values upon traditional, Christian cultures."
"I believe we have something to admire in the thousands of Serbian Christians who protested – Christians who were not afraid to boldly declare that 'we don't give up holy places,' as one sign professed."
"It is high time we stop being afraid of whom we'll offend when we stand up for our values," Cox concluded. "It should concern us much more how many people don't care about offending God."
Watch this footage of the Aug. 28 protest against EuroPride in Belgrade.
This video is from the High Hopes channel on Brighteon.com.
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