Watchdog

BELGRADE -- The prosecutor’s office in the Serbian capital, Belgrade, said it would do everything necessary to identify and prosecute those who caused violence during a EuroPride walk that was officially banned by authorities.

The office on September 18 said it would work to “determine all relevant circumstances of attacks on members of the Interior Ministry…the attacks and threats made to journalists, as well as to certain participants in the 'EuroPride' event."

The statement said the Senior Public Prosecutor's Office would work with the Interior Ministry to identify and prosecute those responsible for the violence, some being labeled as "hooligans."

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The Interior Ministry on September 13 officially announced a ban on the EuroPride Week's culminating march through downtown Belgrade and said it had similarly denied permission for a counterdemonstration the same day.

It concluded that there was a “danger of violence, destruction of property, and other forms of disruption of public order on a larger scale."

LGBT activists, however, vowed to carry on in some manner and about 1,000 supporters conducted a scaled-down walk in central Belgrade, with some 6,000 security personnel keeping watch. At the same time, far-right opponents clashed with police on the city’s streets.

Organizers of the EuroPride events also faced strong opposition from the conservative Serbian Orthodox Church.

Scattered incidents were reported throughout the day. Officials said anti-gay activists threw bottles at police and attempted to break through cordons set up by authorities.

Serbian officials said 87 people were detained in the capital, with Interior Minister Aleksandar Vulin saying criminal charges were brought against 11 of them.

Prior to the march, LGBT organizers said they had been given assurances by Prime Minister Ana Brnabic -- who is openly lesbian but who has been criticized by the Serbian gay community for lack of support -- that they could proceed and that the streets would be safe.

Following the event, Brnabic told reporters that “the police did a great job” and said she was proud that “we managed to avoid more serious incidents.”

She added that the matter was now closed and that “it's time to focus on things that are more difficult and important."

After the event, Vulin insisted that the ban on a march had, in fact, been enforced and that the people walking on the streets were only being "escorted to a concert."

Vulin said 13 police officers were injured and that five police vehicles were damaged during the day. He visited the injured officers and said Belgrade police had shown they were not intimidated by "pressure or hooligans."

EuroPride Week celebrates lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex pride at the pan-European level and has been hosted by a different European city nearly every year since 1992.

With reporting by AFP

The European Union's executive body called for cutting 7.5 billion euros in funding for Hungary, due to concerns about corruption and backsliding over democracy.

The recommendation, made September 18, was the first to be made by the EU under new policies aimed at protecting the rule of law in the 27-nation bloc.

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Hungary has until November 19 to address the concerns, EU Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn said.

"It's about breaches of the rule of law compromising the use and management of EU funds," Hahn said in Brussels. "We cannot conclude that the EU budget is sufficiently protected."

He said the money would come from “cohesion funds” granted to Hungary, which is one of the biggest parts of the bloc's budget. The money helps countries to bring their economies and infrastructure to meet EU standards.

Any action to suspend Hungary’s funds must be approved by the bloc’s 27 member countries. Under EU rules, this requires what’s called a “qualified majority,” which amounts to 55 percent of the member states representing at least 65 percent of the total EU population.

Not long after the EU announcement, Tibor Navracsics, Hungary's minister in charge of EU negotiations, said there was "a good chance" his government would be able to sign an agreement over the use of European funds by the end of the year.

Last week, Hungarian officials reacted angrily when the European Parliament approved a resolution saying the country was not a "full democracy." Fidesz, the ruling party that is controlled by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, said "the European Parliament is attacking Hungary again."

But Orban's chief of staff, Gergely Gulyas, said that Budapest would establish an anti-corruption department and a working group with nongovernmental organizations to oversee spending of the EU funds.T

"The government has either accepted the requests of the European Commission, or in the areas where we could not accept them, we have managed to reach a compromise that is satisfactory to both parties," Gulyas told reporters on September 17.

Orban, who was reelected for a fourth consecutive term in April, has clashed often with the bloc over issues such as judicial independence, LGBT rights, and media, academic, and religious freedoms.

With reporting by Reuters and AP