The pride parade will be organized on July 24 at 12 noon in Budva, in front of the walls of the Old Town, it was announced at the press conference.
Minister for Human and Minority Rights Suad Numanović and police representative Nikola Janjušević, assistant director of the Police Administration, were also present at the press conference.
Numanović did not say whether he will attend the Pride Parade, but he confirmed that the Government will have its representative, but it has not been determined who it will be.
TV News, Nemanja Živaljević
Due to the season and the large number of members of the LGBT community vacationing in this city, Budva was chosen as the place where members of this sexual minority will gather publicly for the first time in Montenegro.
It is expected that some public figures from Budva, as well as the rest of Montenegro, will participate in the gay parade and thus publicly provide support to members of sexual minorities who are often victims of discrimination and prejudice.
The organizer of the first Pride Parade is the NGO LGBT Forum Progres.
The pride parade will be a test of whether the Montenegrin state and society have matured in democratic changes, above all in respect of human rights and freedoms, according to the LGBT Forum Progress. At the press conference on the occasion of the first Pride Parade in Montenegro, they said that they would consider it a success if more than three members of the LGBT population came to the event, and that they expected dozens of participants. The representative of the Forum, Aleksandar Zeković, said that the organization's research showed that a small number of members of the LGBT community support the organization of public gatherings, and that even fewer of them are ready to appear at them. That, as Zeković said, was the motive for the LGBT Forum to dare to organize the Parade in order to influence the empowerment and encouragement of that community to fight for their rights. He clarified that the LGBT Forum insisted on an event that would not be closed and without the presence of the public. "We wanted an event that did not exclude the public. Our intention is for the Parade to take place in the center of the environment, to make it possible for everyone who wants to attend, but not to cause dissatisfaction in terms of closing traffic and catering facilities in Budva, because it is important for us not to be isolated", said Zeković.
According to him, since the adoption of the Government Strategy for the improvement of the position of LGBT persons in Montenegro, the LGBT Forum began to think about its social promotion and that is when the idea arose to organize more pride walks. Zeković added that their decision was not influenced by the announcement of a gay parade in Podgorica, which was announced for October 27 by the organization Kvir Montenegro. He confirmed that representatives of Queer were invited to the parade in Budva, and that at least two of its representatives would respond to the invitation. Zeković added that the announced marches will be a test of political will, the Police Department, but also the reaction of the LGBT community, stating that he believes that since the postponement of the previously announced parades, Montenegro has improved and created the conditions for such a demonstration. much more because the LGBT community is still insufficiently developed and visible, but despite many limitations, Forum Progress believes that the best way for accelerated development and maturation is to organize pride walks without further delay, in the form of peaceful public gatherings. That's why we scheduled the first procession for July 24 at noon in front of the walls of the old city in Budva," he announced. Zeković said that the intention is for the event to carry a strong educational, promotional, touristic and inclusive message. "We believe that on that day the whole of Montenegro, its institutions and citizens will have the opportunity to confirm the historical need of LGBT people for equality and full social equality." , he concluded.
Numanović: Indicator of total changes Minister of Human and Minority Rights Suad Numanović said that the state is ready to guarantee all its citizens the right to freedom of assembly. "The government wants to send a clear message that LGBT manifestations, such as the Pride Parade, should be held in a tolerant atmosphere and without violence . That event will certainly be an indicator of overall changes and maturation of society on the European path, and I believe that the institutions will respond to the challenge," he said. Numanović stated that the Ministry undertook to work on creating an environment for social acceptance of LGBT persons and encouraging greater unity, acceptability and the creation of cultural values and other assumptions that will encourage the visibility and acceptance of the LGBT population. He did not specifically respond to the organizer's invitation to attend the Parade in Budva and to address the participants, in order to show concrete and not just declarative support. Numanović stated that the Government has not yet appointed its representative at the Parade, stating that the most important thing for him is to create the conditions for the social integration of LGBT people and the implementation of planned measures from the Government Strategy. "The Government will have a representative, as it did in 2011 representative at the Croatian Parade. For me, it is more important that the event takes place peacefully and in understanding, and it is less important whether the minister will be there, if he gives maximum support for its organization", he said. Even after that answer, Zeković appealed to Numanović to appear in Budva, explaining that the presence of a "high" government official is necessary for several reasons. "Not only does it carry a political message, but it also sends a security one." The presence of a member of the Government is a message to everyone that the Parade will take place as it should. This is an additional obligation and responsibility for the police, which does not diminish their role that they will do their job professionally, but it sends a message that they will protect a member of the Government along with everyone else," he explained.
It is not known how many policemen will be guarding the parade Assistant Director of the Police Administration, Nikola Janjušević, said that the police and the Ministry of Internal Affairs have an obligation to protect all citizens and their rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution. of the police on the preparation and maintenance of the Procession. We will take all the measures required by law to ensure that the event takes place safely," he said. Janjušević did not specifically answer the question of how many police officers will be guarding the Parade, but he said that there will be enough "to ensure stable order and peace, personal and property security of participants as well as other citizens and tourists". He reminded that UP cooperates with LGBT Forum Progresom since 2008 and that since then members of the police have undergone more training and education to act in the protection of the rights of LGBT persons.
Cimbaljević: I am not against anyone, everyone is against me The executive director of the LGBT Forum progress, Zdravko Cimbaljević, said that, since three years ago, when he publicly declared himself a homosexual in Montenegro, his life changed a lot and that then everything he cared about disappeared. family although I am honest and convinced that I am doing the right thing. I was not against anyone and everyone was against me. Earlier, there were more people who spat, cursed and beat me, unfortunately, there are still a lot of them today," he said. Cimbaljević stated that in the last ten days alone, he reported more than 20 people for hate speech and violence. He appealed to all families in Montenegro not to reject their loved ones because they have a different sexual orientation or gender identity. Cimbaljević said that in Progres, from the initial rejection and ignoring, they managed to build cooperation with the police and the Government. , concluded Cimbaljević.
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