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Gay American Avoids Belgrade Thugs in City Street

InterPride observer followed on Sunday evening
 

■ William Urich, chairperson of InterPride’s committee on International LGBTI Human and Civil Rights. being interviewed yesterday by UK's Channel Four television on the violence on the streets hours before being possibly being targeted by thugs himself. photo: UK Gay News

By Andy Harley in Belgrade

BELGRADE, September 21, 2009  –  The chairperson of InterPride’s committee on International LGBTI Human and Civil Rights spoke today of how he was followed on the streets of  central Belgrade yesterday evening and how it brought home to him just how Serbian society had to  live “in a constant state of fear of thugs”.

Openly gay William Urich, who was attending Belgrade Pride as an official “observer” for InterPride, told UK Gay News that, after returning to his hotel from the reception given by the Swedish Ambassador, he decided to go out and explore the downtown area around 6pm.

“I was less than a block from a main street, walking around and soaking up the atmosphere, he recalled.

“As I was walking along, I noticed in the reflections in shop windows that I was probably being followed.

“I crossed the street twice, and the group of three young men clearly continued to follow me.  They just looked like normal kids.

“When they were still following me after crossing the street twice, I became concerned,” Mr. Urich admitted, insisting that he was possibly targeted as a foreigner and not as a gay man.

“We were warned by Pride organisers that this sort of thing might happen to us – a small group would follow and then when they had a target they would call more thugs on their mobile phones,” he said.

“There was a group of police officers in riot gear standing on a corner, so I walked over and stood by them.  One of them looked at me and I just signalled to the three young guys who were following.

“The police looked over and the three men disappeared down a side street.

“They were hunting in packs – like wild dogs – it was a weird feeling I’ve never experienced before.  I travel across the world and nothing like this has happened before.

“People who live here must have to go through this on a regular basis – living in a constant state of fear of thugs.  It’s really scary.”

Mr. Urich could well have been lucky.  On Saturday evening an Australian tourist was beaten by thugs in the city-centre park.

And it was gay Greeks from Athens who witnessed the attack and raised the alarm.

“Local people did nothing to help the victim because they were afraid,” one of the Greeks said yesterday.

Not knowing exactly how to contact the police and ambulance and fearful of language difficulties, the Greeks called the “emergency Gay Pride line”, who in turn called the police.

Last week, three French football fans from Toulouse were attacked while having a drink in an Irish pub in the centre of Belgrade. One of the fans remains in critical condition in hospital.

Then on Thursday evening, a British citizen was attacked by thugs, again in the city centre.

On Saturday at a meeting of gay men and women who had planned to be at Belgrade Pride, the dangers that were common on the streets of Belgrade were explained to visitors from other countries.

They were told not to anything that made them look “gay”, and to be alert at all times.  “Foreigners are especially targeted,” an official said.

And to bring the point home, a Serbian gay woman, saying that she totally supported the cancelling of the Pride parade because of security concerns, uttered what certainly summed up the ,lack of security from thugs on the Belgrade street.

“I am not ready to die,” she said.

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