Some gay people in Belgrade, Serbia, are calling in FIFA to help curb soccer-based homophobic graffiti in the city. Messages advocating the murder of gays (the one to the right reads: “Death to faggots”), and signed by fans of Serbian soccer groups (South Gate is a group of Serbian fans), is apparently abundant in the city. From the UK Gay News:
Two weeks ago, the Gay and Lesbian Info Center in Belgrade and other non-governmental organisations requested the Football Association of Serbia and the management of the two clubs to publicly distance themselves from these messages and to condemn the calls to murder of gay persons. But the plea has fallen on deaf ears. So a letter has been sent to FIFA headquarters in Zurich.
The messages are apparently in reaction to the local gay pride parade. The Mayor of Belgrade has said he is against violence, but he has also said he’s against the local pride parade: A mixed message that has left many gay people in Belgrade nervous and scared.
Hat tip to UK Gay News.
on Aug 10th, 2009 at 11:49 am
It’s stories like these that make me so thankful that I live in Canada.
on Aug 10th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
They are going to ask a body that monitors soccer to curb homophobic graffiti? How? Why dont they go to the police or city government and have them remove it? Or…organize a group and paint over it themselves?…
on Aug 10th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
The Police and the City government are alarmed, but soccer clubs are silent, and I will remind you that the first Gay Pride Parade in Belgrade in 2001 was stopped in violence by soccer hooligans, and they are planning to do it again. I think that is important that soccer clubs condemn this actions of their fans.
on Aug 11th, 2009 at 1:01 am
Slavs and Muslims all seem so wretchedly anti-gay.
on Aug 11th, 2009 at 9:48 am
Odd…considering most European based porn has nothing but slavs in it…
on Aug 12th, 2009 at 2:50 am
Or just paint over the soccer hooligans… with a lead-based paint, if you get my drift.