Police pride is not LGBT pride!

nion Confederation "Anarcho-Syndicalist Initiative" does not support "Pride Parade" organized in this way. State pride parade will not contribute in any way  to improvement in position of gay community in Serbia. On the contrary, it will distance itself more from the rest of the population, because LGBT pride is defended by politicians, state and its repressive apparatus - those who keep  most of the population of this country in misery and poverty. Those who prepared and made war against other nations, and those who are still preparing them; those
who kidnap, privatize and fire, those who serve the oppressors and criminals from the United States, European Union and NATO, who are responsible for the suffering of billions people and destroying the planet we live on; Exactly those people found themselves to "defend" the rights of repressed minorities. In its imperial quest, system has to provide a monopoly on force to the states that are there to facilitate the smooth functioning of the capitalist system of exploitation. This year's "Pride parade", despite the title, has as a goal, above all, strengthening and consolidating of the system.
Alignment on their side, and organized participation in events of this type means classification on the side of system. Union Confederation "Anarcho-syndicalist initiative" is an organization that sees as its mission, destruction of this and such system, and therefore we will not support the parade of police pride.

Pride parade ("Gay pride") is organised around the world since 1969., when homosexual community opposed to police repression in series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations in New York, and this sent an open and uncompromising protest against discrimination and oppression against LGBT people. On this occasion, the poorest strata of homosexual community lead violent clashes with the police of New York, who performed searches and in in various other ways terrorised members of the community and visitors of gay clubs. It is through violent resistance to the police that homosexual community fought for their
pride, and that has allowed homosexuals to mark their manifestations as
pride parades. And today, as in 1969., numerous events of LGBT rights
in the world clearly express their disagreement with the ruling system,
and they dont march with the members of the police.

Position of homosexuals in Serbia is very bad. Social conservatism is very strong, negative stereotypes about homosexual population are part of a dominant opinion, most people still wrongly believe that homosexuality is a disease. This is clearly demonstrated by the fact that a homosexual couple can not walk, hand in hand, in any city in Serbia without being at least verbally abused. Capitalist system kills humanity in us, turn us against each other, creating and spreading
hatred based on irrelevant differences like color of the skin, ethnic origin and sexual orientation. It encourages us to express our anger and frustrations, that are piling up because we are dissatisfied and essentially have no control over our lives, against weak and defenseless rather then on the bosses and the authorities who create that misery.

Instead of mass and violent clashes with those who create and reproduce
a system under which we suffer, oppresed are fighting between themselves.

Just because of this kind of situation in 2001. our organization, then called "Initiative for Anarcho-Syndicate", was only union organisation which supported the Pride Parade. Parade, which, though convened by the liberal gay activists had a relatively grassroots character, and apparently didnt have state protection. This event was shattered by a large number of homophobes gathered at counter-protest, led by fascist and clerical police associates. A few ASI members gave physical resistance to homophobes and fascists, and doing that they contributed to  defense of pride of the gay community in Serbia. It should be noted that most of current LGBT activists havent been active in the fights for rights of LGBT population in the period of 2001 Pride parade, and many have found a different justifications to not be in Belgrade on that day, and some were even opposed to organisation of parade with the thesis that it is too early for that. In our call to this event on June 29 2001, which was also one of the first addresses to public from our organization, we pointed out that homophobia is one of the consequences of the capitalist economic system, and there is no way for its true and complete eradication within state and the capitalist context. We hold the same positions today.

Representing the position of scientific analysis of social relations we know that such  society, in which exploitation and power of man over man is basis of social order, does not meet the necessary preconditions for the elimination of homophobia, same as sexism, racism, and most other negative phenomena in today's society. Of course, homophobia must be fought with all forces, but for the full and true eradication of homophobia it is necessary to abolish system that produce it. Therefore, we see a necessity to connect the struggle for LGBT rights
with struggles of other oppressed, and we emphasize that only through
such a common struggle, we can provide a general emancipation.

After 2001. there was several attempts and an announcement and then cancelings of the parade, but it was clear that local LGBT activists aren't up to the task such is organizing the parade. Recognizing their weakness, which is mainly based on their ideological constraints, most LGBT activists decided to practically sell their pride to the state accepting - though often not wanting to admit, that only by using its force it will be in chance to at least nominally perform this kind of Pride parade in Serbia. It was perhaps best seen in organising last year's Pride parade when frightened and confused organisers, were awarded with a complete failure for their trust in the institutions: request from the state to dislocate Parade from center of Belgrade and, eventually, cancelling entire event.

This year's organizers of "Pride parade" had fewer illusions about their role than last year organisers, and and they left preparation of terrain for organising Pride to European Union, state of Serbia and it's police. Serbian politicians, who were until recently brutally homophobic in their appereances, on the pressure of European Union reacted on the way it was expected for them - they were ready to change their vocabulary, restrain their fascist para-police groups, and put their influence and power in the service of organisation of this year's Parade. In practice this means that on 10. october, wide center of Belgrade was to be turned into police training ground, on which everyone who look suspicious would be detained or asked for ID, while 5000 cops would provide protection for Parade itself. In this way, participants of the Parade, and through them entire gay population, would be identified with those who need armored vehicles worth millions of dollars and which are protected by hundred of agents and thousands
of police officers - criminals and war criminals Joseph Biden and Dmitry Medvedev, as well as infamous Hillary Clinton. The route that this year Pride wil take, passing Misnistry and Government of Republic of Serbia, even more highlight that fact that this Parade will celebrate state and it's monopoly on force.

We know that some activists of "Anarchosyndicalist Initiative" will participate in this year "Pride parade" too, but we are aware that they will participate as individuals, and that their participation will be purely personal act, result of desire that their friends, who still didn't understand completely criminal character of this manifestation, feel better and more secure. Thus, their appearance on Pride parade shouldnt be seen in any way as political support to event organised in this way.

Anarchism was always antisystem movement, and ASI with it's actions  contributed to the formulation and articulation of militant, revolutionary position in the political struggles in our areas; position which didnt existed here for a long time, and which was during 90's completely integrated into liberal antiwar movement. As a result, there is big responsibility, both ours and our sister organisations, same as all groups on revolutionary left to not allow "playing on first ball" (/not sure how to translate this/), and to not give mindless support to everything that has overtones of progressivity, because such behaviour will have as a consequence attempt of suppresion of the autonomous revolutionary positions, and return to the liberal morass. Only by the struggle against the system, and by weakening and defeat of this system, we can create society which would be truly free from opression and  discrimination.

Death to homophobia, state and capitalism!