BELGRADE, Serbia — Serbian riot police fought running battles Sunday with thousands of far-right demonstrators who hurled Molotov cocktails and stun grenades to try to disrupt a gay-pride march in downtown Belgrade. More than 140 people were hurt and more than 200 were arrested, officials said.
Thousands of police officers sealed off the streets in the capital where the march took place, repeatedly clashing at several locations with rioters. Several parked cars were set on fire or damaged, shop windows were broken, garbage containers were overturned and streets signs destroyed. Protesters chanting “death to homosexuals!” hurled bricks, stones, glass bottles and stun grenades at riot police.
Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said police estimated that 6,000 rioters faced 5,600 police. He praised the police “for preventing even more serious bloodshed.”
Sunday’s gay-pride march was viewed as a major test for Serbia’s government, which has pledged to protect human rights as it seeks European Union membership.
Gay-rights activist Lazar Pavlovic said staging of the pride march was a “historic event.”
