I have been working with the LDP (Liberal Democrat Party of Serbia) for a few years now through the International Office and we have been concentrating on human rights and LGBT issues for the last 18 months. The first stage of the work the International Office and I have been doing, focusing on building LGBT competency within the wider LDP and supporting them to create their own LGBT specific committee in the Human Rights Council, culminated last month when I joined the Human Rights Council and LDP leadership at Belgrade Pride.

In addition to marching and taking part in a series of events, we laid out our plans for the next stage of our programme which is to start looking across the whole of Serbia and not just Belgrade, supporting LGBT activism across the country and working with LDP officials at the local and regional level to build understanding of the LGBT community and the issues they face.

I wanted to draw together some thoughts about Pride and about Serbia and my experiences there over the past 18 months. The first is that Pride was peaceful and it went well – the atmosphere was fun, positive and it felt like a very cheerful event.

As someone who was staying right on the route of the parade, the scale of security needed and indeed presented seemed massively excessive. But when you realise just how violent protests have been in the past then it makes sense. I saw two lads who were jeering when rainbow flags were being put on lamp-posts (at 7am) and they were moved on very quickly; it was especially good to see police protecting the nightclub Pleasure. But to have riot police, helicopters, drones, snipers (I think), roof-top observers – then you have to questions it all.

Afterwards I have heard that 54 arrests were made of possible far right protesters. It was not that trouble occurred, but that a number of known trouble makers were picked up by the police in advance to ensure that they didn’t cause trouble – the expectation was that they would be held overnight and released without charge. I’m not sure what I think about that in all honesty.

The other element of the policing and the scale of the cordon was that essentially the parade took place in isolation – I’m used to London and other prides when you have hundreds and indeed thousands of people watching and cheering. That element still feels a long way off and certainly won’t happen as long as the policing is necessary.

However, the other side of things was that for the first time, in a way that felt tangible the authorities (city and national) were helpful and didn’t obstruct matters. The Leader of the LDP Cedomir Jovanovic was there (he usually attends) and the Mayor of Belgrade, Sinisa Mali, also attended (quite low profile). But also the Mayor’s office made available a truck that meant there was a parade focus and also music could be played which gave it cohesion and a real carnival and parade atmosphere.

The other element was the formal involvement of the international community. Due to problems in the past, there is a very real role for international observers and for embassy and consular staff. I should add that I don’t consider myself to be an international observer, I’m just a trainer from a sister political party here in Serbia – but the presence of the international community and their pressure helps to move towards normalisation of this sort of event.

So – what to conclude – everyone who was there thought it was great, special, better than usual. Indeed being the second peaceful uninterrupted Pride is significant and helps to move things forward. The volunteer team were just brilliant with stewarding and preparations and the Pride Committee have done a great job in laying the ground.

For my little part of the jigsaw I saw, I marched, I live tweeted and tried to show the world that watches me back in the UK and elsewhere that this was an event that they could be proud of and be interested in. I return to the UK pleased at having been here, more appreciative of the freedoms I enjoy, but a slightly heavy heart that such protections are needed at all.

For my friends who are here in Serbia, I leave them with my most heartfelt love and affection, I urge them to continue in their work and their advocacy – they are fighting to be treated equally, not for any special rights or favours. They deserve our respect, our support and our love.

Note from the International Office: Since Pride, the Human Rights Council has led the first in a series of trainings for local LDP activists and officials on LGBT cultural competency outside of Belgrade. The training, which took place in Jagodina, was led by members of the Human Rights Council with Ed playing a supporting role and centred on an introduction to what it means to be LGBT and what issues the community faces in Serbia. The International Office plans to support a further three trainings across Serbia over the next six months.

* Ed Fordham is a Former Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for Hampstead and Highgate 2005, Hampstead and Kilburn 2010 and currently Group Leader on Derbyshire County Council.