[NextGenderation]
Impressions by Zoe, queer activist from Belgrade, participant at the
festival. Quick translation from Serbian by Ana Miskovska Kajevska.
Website of the Festival:
http://www.queer.ba/qsf-en.htm
Dear friends,
The First Queer Sarajevo Festival was opened on 24 September in
Sarajevo.
It was opened with a magnificent exhibition at the Art Academy. Quite
a lot of people arrived, it was so unique and, in the same time,
touching. There were more than 300 people at the opening. Their
sexual orientation, religious beliefs and their sex/gender are not
important. What IS IMPORTANT is that they came to support a great
event, a splendid festival, great people. Art, joy, life, freedom...
But the reality was not all that bright. In front of the Academy,
during the opening, some very extreme and aggressive groups of people
started gathering as well. Around 150 people gathered, they had
stones, knives, even guns.
7 activists and visitors and one police officer were hurt.
People were brutally attacked and have severe bodily injuries.
Extremist groups were following people to their cars, were pulling
them out of their cars, punching and kicking them.
One taxi driver was even taken out of his car, he was told "you step
aside", and then the people who were sitting in the taxi got beaten.
One guy was even hit in the head, his nose was broken and afterwards,
he was hit with a gun on his head, after which he lost consciousness.
Some other people were attacked from behind their backs, one guy got
internal bleeding.
The police has registered the festival as a high risk event, but has
unfortunately failed to undertake the appropriate measures. The
police has allowed 100-150 football supporters and Wahabees to come
as close as the entrance of the Art Academy.
It was afterwards left to the privately-hired security to deal with
and protect from, the extremists.
The police did not even want to disperse the extremists' gathering,
which was not even announced to the police. This means that the
police has seriously failed. Once more it did not recognise which
party is the endangered one; it even allowed and supported the violence.
The police and the institutions which did not react accordingly and
which allowed the football supporters and Wahabees to gather, have a
big responsibility for what has happened. They said "We cannot hinder
them, they have freedom of movement".
If it is so, Why Do Queer People Do Not Have the Right to Move? Why?
After the Queer Belgrade Festival, where I have experienced the same
kind of intimidation and violence, where people were brutally beaten
up, I am in Sarajevo, at the proud first Queer Festival and I go
through the same story again. This says once more that the person who
beats me has the right to walk and kill me, whereas I get pushed in a
room and they continue to make a victim out of me, only because I am
a lesbian, queer feminist and a proud activist.
But we will not stop, we continue to exist, rejoice and fight.
A big greeting from Sarajevo,
Zoe
