Gay Parade in Belgrade

A news item to watch tomorrow:

Whilst Sydney's Mardi Gras Parade is a popular annual event on the calendar for gay and straight Sydneysiders alike, Serbia are having their first gay parade in eight years in Belgrade tomorrow.

There are many in the Orthodox Christian nation who oppose the parade, including the Church and the Mayer of Belgrade, but neither condone the expected violence that is almost certain to descend upon the event.

This is surely homophobia at its worst, but that's not the whole story; the nationalists are also using it to pursue a different agenda. They see this parade as a positive step towards joining the European Union, and so disrupting it would be a significant setback for the pro-Western politicians.

Many eyes will be on the outcome of this parade. It will be a true test of a nation that has only recently embraced democracy and has recently been fractured by the declaration of independence by both Kosovo and Montenegro.

Edit:

I'd only just written this post up and it appears that the event has been cancelled within the last hour. How disappointing that freedom of expression clearly does not exist in a country that calls itself democratic.