Greens/EFA MEPs will attend EuroPride in Belgrade
EuroPride 2022
This weekend, EuroPride 2022 is scheduled to take place in Belgrade, Serbia. Greens/EFA Members of the European Parliament Terry Reintke, Kira-Marie Peter-Hansen, Kim van Sparrentak and Thomas Waitz, will travel to Belgrade to participate in the LGBTIQ+ festival. In late August, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced that the Serbian government wanted to ban this year’s international EuroPride event in Belgrade and this Tuesday the Belgrade police banned the Pride March, scheduled for Saturday. Late last night it was reported the Serbian government confirmed to the European Commision the parade will be allowed to go ahead. The Greens/EFA Group support the efforts by the organisers, Belgrade Pride and European Pride Organizers Association (EPOA), to ensure EuroPride and the parade will take place.
Terry Reintke MEP, Vice-President of the Greens/EFA Group and Vice-President of the European Parliament LGBTI-Intergroup, comments:
"The LGBTIQ+-community is not an ‘ideology’. As human beings and citizens we are exercising our fundamental rights, freedom to assembly and freedom of expression, and the Serbian security forces must ensure that we are protected.
"We will all be sending out our message to the rest of Europe and to the whole world: It is our right to live how we want to live and to love whom we want to love. We stand with the LGBTIQ+-community and we celebrate this very special moment – despite all difficulties and resistances."
Kira-Marie Peter-Hansen MEP, Vice-President of the Greens/EFA group, comments:
"I feel immensely proud to be able to join incredible LGBTIQ-activist and the citizens of Belgrade for the EuroPride this year. We know very well that there are voices criticizing our presence, but as Greens, we reiterate again and again: human rights are non-negotiable.
"Standing in solidarity is always a choice and for us staying home was never an option. We see the struggles the LGBTIQ-activist in Serbia are facing - we see your battles and recognize your efforts to achieve equality. This weekend in Belgrade, we manifest that solidarity does not know borders.”
Kim van Sparrentak, Greens/EFA Member of the European Parliament, comments:
“The political decision to 'cancel' the Europride won't stop us. This decision by the Serbian president shows us how necessary it is for this event to take place. No matter how much hate is spread by conservative forces, our message of love and the right to decide who you want to be deserves to be spread. And now stronger than ever and we will make sure that it will spread all over Belgrade.”
Thomas Waitz, Greens/EFA Member of the European Parliament, comments:
“EuroPride is a demonstration for freedom and fundamental rights. This is an important moment for Serbia, the Western Balkans and Europe. Belgrade’s citizens have shown in recent elections that they want an open and progressive city and country, Europride was a clear milestone towards these developments. As Greens we will be in Belgrade to stand with the LGBTIQ movement, and hope that the authorities will protect the right of safe and peaceful assembly.”
For media requests for our MEPs, please contact:
Terry Reintke MEP
Sebastian Fietkau, press contact +49 176 59 67 55 15
Kira-Marie Peter-Hansen MEP
Asta Otto, press contact +45 61 67 68 64
Kim van Sparrentak MEP
Lowie Kok, press officer +31 6 227 015 080
Thomas Waitz MEP
Iris Bos, press contact via email
More:
The EuroPride is a week-long event that promotes lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex pride at the pan-European level and is hosted by a different European city each year. Serbia and Belgrade Pride will host the 2022 EuroPride that is scheduled to be held from the 12th to the 18th of September.
