Bosnian Serb Leader Vows To Ban LGBTQ Groups From Schools


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Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik has said he plans to ban LGBTQ groups from entering schools and universities in the latest move targeting the community.

LGBTQ activists accused Dodik of provoking a hate attack on Monday when the screening of a documentary in the Bosnian Serb capital of Banja Luka was banned.

"Republika Srpska will pass a law in the next few months that will ban members of LGBT organisations from approaching educational institutions," Dodik -- the president of Bosnia’s Serb entity -- told a local broadcaster late Thursday.

"So, kindergartens, schools, universities. They will not be able to work, approach or spread propaganda."

Police banned the screening about the local LGBTQ community following pressure by various conservative associations and local football fan groups.

Following the ban, several hooded men attacked activists near the venue, injuring three people.

Activists said the incident happened in front of police officers, who told the crowd earlier that they could not guarantee their safety.

Dodik had publicly opposed the event and said he expected the police to prevent it. He accused gays of "harassing others".

The US-sanctioned leader has held enormous sway over Bosnia's Serb entity for years, where he has stoked ethnic tensions and frequently threatened to secede from the Balkan country's institutions.

Since the end of its bloody civil war in the 1990s, Bosnia is remains split between a Serb entity and a Muslim-Croat federation connected by a weak central government.

Bosnia held its first Pride march in 2019 in the capital Sarajevo but homophobia remains deep-seated.

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The Barron's news department was not involved in the creation of the content above. This article was produced by AFP. For more information go to AFP.com.
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