Final Pride Caravan of the Year Held in Čačak and Užice

On Saturday, October 4, the organization Da se zna! held the final Pride Caravan of this year in Čačak and Užice. Both events took place amid great tension and several incidents. For security reasons, both gatherings were held much earlier than planned and were significantly shortened.

Tensions in Čačak had been high for days before our arrival. Football fans and hooligans were preparing a violent disruption of our event, which forced us to move the gathering to an earlier time and considerably shorten its duration. One of the few positive moments in Čačak was when a woman with two small children approached us to express her support for our event.

In Užice, the night before our arrival, hateful graffiti appeared on the City Assembly building, targeting LGBT+ people — “Slaughter faggots,” “Kill faggots,” “Death to faggots.” During the event, hooligans shouted and insulted participants in an attempt to stop the gathering, and at one point a powerful firecracker was thrown at us. Despite witnessing all of this, the police did not react or apprehend any of the hooligans or attackers. Due to the serious threat to our safety, we had to shorten the public gathering in Užice to just about ten minutes.

Da se zna! expresses serious concern over the rise of violence and hatred toward LGBT+ people in Serbia, especially in smaller towns. LGBT+ people feel extremely unsafe and insecure, particularly at the local level. They often experience violence and discrimination from the police itself — the very institution that should protect them and bring perpetrators to justice.

Nevertheless, despite all of this, under the slogans “For Family in Čačak” and “For Family in Užice,” as well as our flags were raised in the centers of two very conservative and homo/transphobic cities. By doing so, we sent a message of love, acceptance, and tolerance — standing against hatred and violence — to the citizens of Čačak and Užice.