Three unknown men attacked Marko Milovanovic, former LGBT + activist in Belgrade, first verbally and then physically, breaking his thumb, the "Let It Be Known" association said in a statement on Wednesday.

„This is yet another attack which shows in what situation the LGBT + people are in Serbia,“ the „Let It Be Known“ association said in a statement about Tuesday’s incident.

It added the attack as reported to the police.

The association said their record showed that six out of ten such incidents motivated by homophobia and transphobia remained „invisible“ to the authorities. The main reason was the Quir community’s lack of trust in institutions.

„By adequately sanctioning attacks on the LGBT + community and treating survivors with dignity, the state would encourage the community to report such cases and send the perpetrators a signal that no one in Serbia should be endangered because of their characteristics,“ the statement added.

In the meantime, in another sign of rising hatred in Serbia’s society, the „Women in Black“ anti-war NGO, helped by 30 other organisations, including the „Don’t Let Belgrade Drown“ opposition movement re-painted offensive graffiti written on the NGO’s entrance over the weekend.

„We have a long history of attacks on us, and the source of repression is always more or less those organisations that have the tacit consent of the regime. The problem is that they want to destroy the space of free and different opinions. With this, they want to intimidate the people in Serbia, thwart any forms of organised activity against the regime. We are especially targeted telling the truth about what happened in the past and demand responsibility for it,“ Stasa Zajevic, of the NGO, said.

The case has been reported to the police, and the perpetrators are unknown at the moment.

The graffiti supported Ratko Mladic, the convicted war criminal, and insulted the „Women in Black“.

The NGO is known for their silent performance, reminding society about war crimes committed during the 1990s armed conflicts in former Yugoslavia.