15 Apr MONTENEGRO GOVERNMENT THROWS SUPPORT BEHIND 1ST GAY PRIDE
Montenegro’s government has thrown its support behind the country’s first ever gay pride march on May 31 — a test of the country’s readiness to respect human rights as it seeks to join the European Union.
Opponents in the highly conservative Balkan country have declared the planned march a “shame” and vowed to disrupt it. Some organizers have received threats of violence from extremists via Facebook and other social networking sites.
“I hope everything will pass peacefully,” Zdravko Cimbaljevic of LGBT Forum Progress, a gay group behind the march, told the Associated Press.
Homosexuality remains a sensitive issue for the Adriatic nation of over 600,000 which takes pride in its conservative patriarchal tradition and family values. The government says holding the event will be a major test of Montenegro’s respect for human rights, but it is determined to support the Pride Parade.
Deputy Prime Minister Dusko Markovic said in a statement late Wednesday that the government will provide “full institutional support for the organization” of the march, which will demonstrate “commitment to European values of tolerance, equality and social inclusion.”
In Montenegro, the government said “law enforcement authorities will make every effort to ensure full safety of participants and maintain public order during the rally.”