As I type the far Right/neo-fascist rioting triggered by the Gay Pride march in Belgrade is the fourth item on BBC TV News, and the second item on BBC Radio 4 News.Thanks Auntie, I didn't know you cared.
But Pride events in other eastern European cities, including Bratislava, Moscow, Riga and Warsaw, have also been met with violence in recent years without them being considered newsworthy by BBC TV.
Fagburn wonders if this sudden but selective concern for gay rights in an eastern European country has more to do with the Western media having spent so many years demonising the Serbs and Serbia - our last Officially Declared Enemy before 9/11 - that this has become a Pavlovian response?
At least this time no-one is arguing that we should start bombing Belgrade.
• Reports from Belgrade's B92 here.
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Official: Anti-gay riots send wrong message to EU
ReplyDelete(AP) – 2 hours ago
BELGRADE, Serbia — A European Union official says violent anti-gay riots in Serbia could hurt the Balkan country's bid to join the bloc.
Police on Sunday clashed with thousands of far-right supporters who were trying to try disrupt a gay pride march in Belgrade. About 140 people were hurt and 200 were arrested.
Jelko Kacin, in charge of the European Parliament's evaluation reports on Serbia, says the anti-gay riots "show an elementary lack" of tolerance for minority rights in Serbia and the "inefficiency" of the state in preventing such a trend.
The gay pride march was viewed as a test for Serbia's government as it seeks EU membership.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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More from B92...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.b92.net/eng/news/crimes-article.php?yyyy=2010&mm=10&dd=12&nav_id=70232
Would "organisers" make such a list though?
An interesting piece from The Economist, as Chomsky says the business press is the least likely to lie to its readers...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.economist.com/node/17259037?story_id=17259037&fsrc=nwl