Fourth Hatred free zone dedicated to solidarity with war refugees
The International LGBTIQ pride day was marked on Monday in Belgrade by organising the fourth Hatred free zone event, dedicated to solidarity with war refugees who have found sanctuary in the area of Savamala, central part of Belgrade in the last 12 months. Forty activists and media representatives were present.
Every year Hatred free zone event aims to show solidarity with LGBTIQ people and other vulnerable groups in Serbia, and therefore the organisers, Women in Black and Gayten-LGBT, organised this demo in Savamala, to protest lawlessness and violence that took place there two months ago – namely a wave of demolitions for a real estate development – including a bizarre night-time incident where masked men tied up onlookers and took their phones as buildings were knocked down for a real estate development.
One of the biggest dates in the history of LGBTIQ movement in the world, June 27th Pride day, is marked for the fourth time in Serbia with the action Hatred free zone (the Zone), organised every time on different locations and under the same slogan. The aims of the Zone are to point to the existing social intolerance toward LGBTIQ people, to symbolically free public space in Belgrade and other towns in Serbia and to contribute to the positive social change.
Solidarity is our value and we as organisers of this action express solidarity with minority groups in Serbia and the world. In this way we want to state that violence and hatred in Serbia cannot be tolerated towards LGBTIQ people or anyone else, as well as that we will be fighting with dedication against homophobia, lesbophobia and transphobia, as well as any other form of xenophobia, misogyny, racism, chauvinism and intolerance towards different social groups and individuals.
The first Hatred free zone in 2013 was dedicated to the memory of the French tourist Brice Taton, who was killed in Belgrade, second to solidarity of LGBTIQ people with Roma community in 2014, and third to antifascism in 2015.
International pride day is celebrated in the world in the memory of the Stonewall revolution – the first open rebellion against the systematic and persistent violence and persecution of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people by the American police.
The event was widely publicised and reported from in the media.
Photos from the action available here.
Gayten-LGBT representative’s statement for television N1 available here.