Organizers cancel Serbia gay pride march after authorities say they cannot guarantee safety

Organizers cancel Serbia’s gay pride march

BELGRADE, Serbia — Organizers have canceled Serbia’s gay pride march after authorities said they could not guarantee protection for the event from extremist groups.

The gathering was to be Serbia’s first gay pride march since 2001. The previous event received almost no police protection and was broken up by rightist groups.

The planned march was seen a major test for the current Serbian government, which has launched pro-Western reforms and pledged to protect human rights.

But organizers said Saturday authorities have informed them that the march in downtown Belgrade was too risky. Spokesman Dusan Kosanovic says police offered a different venue but organizers decided to cancel the march instead.

Several extremist groups had said they would attack the gathering.