Police Reveal Security Plan for Troubled Pride Parade

Two years after a clash between police, soldiers and the prime minister’s brother at the 2014 Belgrade Pride parade, BIRN can reveal details of the security assessment document for the event.

By Jelena Veljković (BIRN) / Photo: N1
@jkraincanic

BIRN has published the police’s security assessment of the Pride parade in September 2014, when there was a violent altercation as members of the Gendarmerie squad from Nis who were guarding the event used force against Andrej Vucic, the brother of the Serbian prime minister, Predrag Mali, the brother of the mayor of Belgrade, and two members of the Cobras military unit.

BIRN finally received the document from the Serbian Interior Ministry, which initially refused to release it, after making an appeal to the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance.

But the ministry sent only the risk analysis part of the document, but not the part about the conduct of the security forces during the Pride parade.

The document said that the event was evaluated as a public gathering with a high security risk, during which the police anticipated “major disruptions of public order”.

Police identified the so-called fan clubs of several football teams – FC Red Star, FC Partizan, FC Rad, FC Vojvodina and FC Vozdovac – as well as far-right organisations SNP Nasi, SNP 1389, Obraz and Dveri, as the potential perpetrators of security incidents during the event.

The police document said that both gatherings which were registered for that day – the Pride parade and a counter-protest rally by the right-wing movement Obraz – could be attended by about 5,000 people of different affiliations, social groups and ages, and that people prone to consuming alcohol and narcotics, as well as those prone to committing crimes and felonies, posed a security risk.

Police that more than 2,000 members of the so-called fan clubs and the extremist organisations could arrive with the intention of stirring up incidents at various locations.

They said they expected the arrival of about 1,000 members of the Red Star fan club, about 500 from Partizan, about 200 from Rad, and about 300 extremist fans of FC Vozdovac and Youth FC Beograd.

Police also stated in the document that Rad fans from a group called United Force group and members of FC Partizan fan clubs planned to commit violent acts.

According to the police assessment data, the fans who were under suspicion hung around the Slon coffee shop and at the bookmakers in the Miljakovac 2 neighbourhood, and had been prosecuted numerous times for violent behaviour.

The police also had information that Red Star fan clubs from housing estates in New Belgrade were planning violent activities. Groups called Delije Sever and Crazy North had prepared brass knuckledusters, metal bars, knives and stones, the police security assessment said.

It also stated that younger people from the Sava riverbank area in New Belgrade had “armed” themselves with large amounts of stones and cobbles.

BIRN requested the security assessment document and a document about the Gendarmerie’s activities on the day of the 2014 Pride parade from the police on February 3, 2016.

After the request was denied, BIRN appealed to the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance was made.

The Commissioner accepted the appeal in part and the security assessment was delivered to BIRN.

The part of the appeal requesting the document about the Gendarmerie’s activities was denied however. The Commissioner said that revealing such information could jeopardise future attempts by the police to ensure the security of public gatherings.

After the Serbian Ombudsman issued a report about the clash involving the Gendarmerie officers and the prime minister’s brother at the parade, he filed two criminal complaints.

One of them was against the Gendarmerie officers for overstepping their authority and the other one was against the two members of the Cobras unit, accusing them of attacking a public official while performing their duty.

The prosecution rejected the complaint against the members of the Cobras unit, but filed charges against eight Gendarmerie officers, accusing them of attacking a member of the military personnel while he was carrying out his duty and with abuse and torture.

Their trial, which started in April 2015, is still ongoing.

During the trial, the Gendarmerie officers and several witnesses claimed that force was used after Vucic, Mali and the two members of the Cobras unit tried to break through a cordon.

The Cobras unit member claimed however that he properly identified himself before the Gendarmerie started hitting him.

During the Pride Parade on September 28th 2014, the members of the Gendarmery squad from Nis who were guarding the manifestation used force against Andrej Vucic, the brother of the Prime Minister, and Predrag Mali, the brother of the Mayor of Belgrade, and against two members of the Cobras military unit.

The article was originally published on the web-portal JAVNO.rs in Serbian. Translated by Aleksandra Lazić.