Budapest Gay Pride march attacked

Far-right extremists threw petrol bombs at a Gay Pride march in the Hungarian capital Budapest.

Riot police used water cannon and tear gas as demonstrators threw bombs and stones when police tried to separate them from the marchers.

Rioters also threw eggs and firecrackers at people taking part in the annual parade.

Riot police detained 45 people and at least eight people were wounded in the clashes, including two policemen.

Anti-gay demonstrators attacked a police car carrying Socialist European Parliament member and human rights activist Katalin Levai.

She said: "This is outrageous and shameful that some 20 years after the change of regime, this is what we have - such intolerance."

Homosexuality was legalised in eastern Europe after the collapse of communism but gay parades have sparked scorn and violence in other countries in the region.

Last week about 60 far-right extremists were arrested in the Bulgarian capital Sofia after they tried to break up the country's first gay parade.

Participants in a parade in the Czech city of Brno were also attacked by anti-gay activists last week.

© Independent Television News Limited 2008. All rights reserved.

Share this article

Send this article to a friend »

• Del.icio.us
• Digg
• Reddit
• Facebook
• StumbleUpon

What are these?