Pride march held in Bosnia capital; opponents gather too

Hundreds of people have attended a gay pride march in Bosnia's capital of Sarajevo

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina -- Hundreds of people attended a gay pride march Saturday in the Bosnian of capital Sarajevo, with organizers saying LGBT people have been further marginalized since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in the impoverished, conservative Balkan nation. A colorful crowd walked through central Sarajevo carrying rainbow flags. The march was held under heavy security after hundreds of police had sealed off the area to prevent incidents with counterprotesters. At the same time, dozens of opponents of the pride march held their own gathering in Sarajevo, saying they wanted to defend the country's traditional values from an “aggressive” LGBT ideology. No incidents were reported at any of the gatherings. The pride march was only the third such event ever in Bosnia, an ethnically divided country that endured a devastating war in 1992-95, which killed over 100,000 people and left millions displaced.