Thousands protest planned Pride gathering in Serbia

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Thousands of opponents of a pan-European LGBTQ event planned for this week in Belgrade marched through the Serbian capital on Sunday despite an announced ban of Europe’s largest annual gay gathering. The procession called by the conservative Serbian Orthodox Church and led by its clergy included anti-Western slogans as well as Russian flags and portraits of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Organizers of the EuroPride, which includes a week of events and a Pride march in Belgrade on Sept. 17, have said they will ignore the police ban and take part in the LGBTQ festivities.