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Christian priests and nuns have staged a bizarre ceremony to "purify" a city after a gay pride parade.

Protesters displayed pictures of Jesus, crosses and banners in the centre of the Serbian capital city of Belgrade.

It came after hundreds of LGBT people and supporters - protected by 5,000 police officers - marched through the city for the annual Pride Parade.

It was the third consecutive year that the event has been successfully held in the city - although in 2009, 2011 through to 2013, the marches were banned as the authorities said they could not protect the participants.

(Image: CEN) (Image: CEN)

The Christian demonstrators said they needed to "purify" the city after the "Sodom and Gomorra" of the Pride Parade.

They said prayers, gave speeches and displayed banners with slogans including "Gay Shame Never in Public Life", "Shame on You", and "Nevermore".

One priest said: "Why do they have to go public and parade? Why? I’ll tell you why. They want to recruit and to spoil the next generations."

(Image: CEN)

The first Belgrade Pride Parade in 2001 was disrupted by large numbers of far-right nationalists who attacked and beat up the participants.

In 2010, the parade triggered an anti-gay riot in which right wing protesters fought with police, throwing petrol bombs and bricks and setting buildings and vehicles on fire.