Belgrade police clash with hooligans as Pride march starts

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Riot police have clashed with soccer hooligans in downtown Belgrade, where a Pride march started despite threats from anti-gay groups and an official earlier ban. Tensions were high in the Serbian capital as the ultranationalist fans hurled shock bombs and flares at a police cordon, which repelled the attack with batons and riot shields. Hundreds of Pride march supporters gathered a few kilometers (miles) away in the pouring rain, dancing and singing while the march took place on a shortened walk route. Goran Miletic, one of the Pride march organizers, said “we need justice and freedom.”