"Europride has not been cancelled. The state cannot cancel it, only we can. The state can only try to ban it," says Marko Mihailović, director of Belgrade Pride, for the "Vremena" portal.
He reminds that the cancellation of Pride, which was announced today by President Aleksandar Vučić, "would be a violation of three decisions of the Constitutional Court from 2011, 2012, and 2013, when it annulled the bans on the Pride Parade passed by the state."
"So, Europride will be held in Belgrade on September 17 at 19 p.m. in front of the National Assembly," says Mihailović.
He also adds that the foreign participants and government representatives have already booked their arrival a long time ago and will not cancel it.
"In the half hour that has passed since Vučić's announcement, no one has contacted me, but I don't think they will because there is no need - Europride will be there," says Mihailović.
Emphasize. "I don't know why the president made such a statement, he knows very well that it is against the Constitution."
Also, says Mihailović, "it will be interesting to see how Vučić or anyone will succeed in banning Europride, alongside Prime Minister Ana Brnabić, a member of the LGBT population."
Aleksandar Vučić said at a press conference today that "they (the Prime Minister and members of the Government) will explain all this in accordance with which law, the Pride Parade scheduled for September, or whatever it is called, will be canceled or postponed."
He stated that "we cannot at this moment, when we have both the Open Balkans and the crisis in Kosovo, and to tell you the truth, we have nowhere to move."
"We threaten the right of the minority, but at the moment the country is pressed by many problems, because we have problems with the drought, all the police possible things, from all the crises we have... Simply, it's not a question of whether they are stronger, simply, at one point you can't everything to achieve, and that's it. In another, slightly happier time, when there will be fewer lies", emphasized Vučić.
He also said that he "will not say how many lies were told" during the last days about Europride and the announced "family walks".
"How are homosexuals going to attack monasteries, seminaries... And those processions are led by disaffected monks... They hold an icon in each hand... It's all a theater of the absurd," said Vučić.
According to him, there are many people who sincerely believe that "it is about a great evil". And for those who say - it is just as important to us, that's why we have to gather, like Kosovo, I say to those patriots - shame on you, he said.
"Well, because Kosovo is worth so little to you, when some parade is the same as Kosovo." Shame on you," he added.
He also mentioned political parties "who live on the hatred they spread against homosexuals".
"That is their only political program, they have nothing else to say." I never liked those manifestations, but as a normal citizen - I don't really care, that one day, I watch football, basketball, or read a book. Those people are our brothers, our sisters, our parents, and you just pretend not to see it," said Vučić.
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