Poland: Gay activists hit with eggs, stones
by Ben Townley
Gay.com U.K.
Hundreds of gay rights activists in Poland endured verbal abuse and had eggs and stones thrown at them as they took part in a march through the city of Krakow last weekend.
Around 800 people marched for their rights in the city, which has been a focus of gay rights advocates in recent weeks. Gay rights groups had planned to combine the march with a small festival of "tolerance," featuring art, music and films that were GLBT-friendly.
However, the Campaign Against Homophobia had complained that local media had started their own crusade against the group, claiming they had scheduled the event to coincide with a national religious holiday so as to inflame conservative groups and raise publicity.
The group had rescheduled the protest for Friday last week in a bid to avoid clashes, despite conservative and religious groups calling for the march to be banned.
At the march, the protesters were confronted with 200 counterdemonstrators, according to media reports, who threw eggs, stones and firecrackers at the marchers. They also called for "gays to be kicked out" of the city and country.
The protests and violence come as the country joined the European Union on May 1, despite being unable to prove that its human rights standards with respect to lesbian and gay people were sufficient.
"It is time for pressure to be put on the Polish government and Polish discrimination," the Campaign Against Homophobia said in a statement last week.
"We sincerely hope the European Union ideas about integration are not merely empty words," it added.
Posted May 11, 2004 Link
by Ben Townley
Gay.com U.K.
Hundreds of gay rights activists in Poland endured verbal abuse and had eggs and stones thrown at them as they took part in a march through the city of Krakow last weekend.
Around 800 people marched for their rights in the city, which has been a focus of gay rights advocates in recent weeks. Gay rights groups had planned to combine the march with a small festival of "tolerance," featuring art, music and films that were GLBT-friendly.
However, the Campaign Against Homophobia had complained that local media had started their own crusade against the group, claiming they had scheduled the event to coincide with a national religious holiday so as to inflame conservative groups and raise publicity.
The group had rescheduled the protest for Friday last week in a bid to avoid clashes, despite conservative and religious groups calling for the march to be banned.
At the march, the protesters were confronted with 200 counterdemonstrators, according to media reports, who threw eggs, stones and firecrackers at the marchers. They also called for "gays to be kicked out" of the city and country.
The protests and violence come as the country joined the European Union on May 1, despite being unable to prove that its human rights standards with respect to lesbian and gay people were sufficient.
"It is time for pressure to be put on the Polish government and Polish discrimination," the Campaign Against Homophobia said in a statement last week.
"We sincerely hope the European Union ideas about integration are not merely empty words," it added.
Posted May 11, 2004 Link
posted by BEING HAD at 5:26 AM
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