Let me welcome new author on OWOP. Vladimir Dordevic is teaching on Masaryk University in Brno.

Belgrade authorities, banning yet another Gay pride few weeks ago, managed to prove time and again an unwritten rule that, regardless of political orientation and party affiliation, political elites dare not face hooligans and far-right groups but rather assist them. Not only that these groups- without any doubt politically connected, assisted to, and (mis)used for attaining various political goals- stood opposed to gay pride march and threatened violence against those participating in this manifestation, but also Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC), supposedly preserving sanctity of the nation at stake, stepped in and spiced up the whole deal by proclaiming gay parade the one ‘of shame’ where a ‘moral shadow’ would be cast on Serbian society.

It is a real pity that for SOC casting a ‘moral shadow’ is done by allowing a peaceful parade rather than seeing hooligan mobs incite violence, destroy property and injure hundreds of people, as both 2001 and 2010 gay parades showed when Belgrade was effectively turned into a battle zone. Then again, what to expect from an institution that is a vanguard of Serbian nationalism but it being ready and willing, allegedly all in the name of Serbian Orthodoxy and ‘greatness’ of the nation, to sideline with extremist groups chanting catchy but hollow nationalist tunes and ready to vengefully storm city squares and streets.

What is more, Serbian PM Dačić, banning the gay pride officially, proclaimed, very much like his spiritual teacher of Slobodan Milošević when speaking of having defeated NATO in 1999, victory rather than defeat of the state. Yes, ladies and gents, I guess history does repeat itself: not only do we again have nationalist Serbia reemerging, but the 1990s discourse of ‘struggles, victories, defeats, and traitors’ is still firmly instituted on the Serbian political scene! Consequently, and in ‘bright’ tradition of Serbian political culture, PM failed to mention that Serbian Constitution was yet again so unashamedly breached all in the name of alleged security concerns!

Thus, PM did not see gay pride as human rights issue but rather a security one. And what about respect of one’s right to not only think otherwise but also express opinion without political hindrance? And, listen to me talking silly, what about the State using its monopoly over physical power in order to allow all its citizens to exercise their Constitutional rights? That is, all things being equal, the very point of democratic order that Serbian PM fails to understand: having a minority that is not constantly sidelined, denied, and branded by majority. Last but not least, while PM’s ‘victory’ came to ridicule basic tenets of what we are invited, by inexorable logic of IR theory, to call State of Serbia, citizens of that country should ask themselves what kind of political system they want to live in. Yes, today you may have both political elites and some citizens gloating over ‘victoriously handling’ the gay issue, but time will come, and soon enough may I add, when majority in Serbia will realize that yesterday’s victory in human rights’ abuse is nothing more but a tomorrow’s defeat in a return to normalcy!