Serbian Woman Stabbed for LGBT Shirt

A woman who was stabbed for wearing an LGBT T-shirt in Belgrade, Serbia, Saturday night is currently awaiting surgery and is listed in stable condition.

Nenad Rosic, an Advocate reader from Belgrade, said the woman who was assaulted is being identified as 24-year-old "A.Z." As she left a party with friends that night, A.Z. was approached by three youths who saw her shirt and started asking whether she is a lesbian. She did not reply to their questions, so they started hitting her. One of the attackers pulled out a knife and tried to stab her in the stomach, but she fought back, and her hand blocked the knife. She was then rushed to a hospital with a stab wound and multiple bruises.

Rosic said demonstrations concerning the attack are being planned for Wednesday in front of government buildings.

"The government officials are condemning the incident but they are still not calling it a hate crime, seeing as they are the ones responsible for it," Rosic said.

The Liberal Democratic Party's Dejan Randic said in a written statement that the attack is an example of the government's "unwillingness to stand up to those who promoted hatred, intolerance and violence." Randic added that the politicians who canceled Belgrade Pride should have to answer for the violence. According to the International Lesbian and Gay Association of Europe, Belgrade Pride was canceled this year amid threats of violence and fears of a recurrence of the violence that marred last year's event.