Lithuania holds first gay march amid protests
VILNIUS |
VILNIUS (Reuters) - About 500 people marched in Lithuania's capital Saturday in the country's first gay pride march, while police kept about 1,000 anti-gay protesters at bay, at one point firing tear gas to keep them back.
The main march itself took place without incident, but riot police used tear gas later when anti-gay protesters tried to break through barriers into the area where the parade took place, where participants were still milling around.
About 600 police, some with dogs and others on horseback, ringed the event, which was held along the bank of a river.
"Today we are marching for freedom, today we are marching for equality, today we are marching for Europe ... that we would never accept homophobia taking over our streets," Swedish Minister for European Affairs Birgitta Ohlsson told the marchers.
She was the highest profile foreign attendee. Some foreign ambassadors, including those of France and Britain, also took part, as well as five members of the European Parliament.
Only two Lithuanian lawmakers attended.
Opinion polls have shown that more than two-thirds of Lithuanians are opposed to the gay pride event in the ex-Soviet republic of 3.4 million people, where the Roman Catholic church, which regards homosexuality as a grave sin, has a dominant role.
"Homophobia is a big problem in Lithuania ... I think this is because homophobia here is institutionalized," Roma Pinkeviciene, 50, a secondary school teacher, told Reuters.
She took part in the march to support human rights.
Some protesters tried to cross the river in a boat, but were turned back by police. Police said 19 anti-gay protest participants were detained after trying to break through barriers and for throwing gas grenades.
The parade was the second joint in the Baltic states, which included gay activists from Latvia and Estonia, as well as other EU countries, and a delegation from Amnesty International.
The Baltic pride event was held for the first time in Latvia last year, and is planned in Estonia in 2011. Latvia and Estonia had separate gay pride events before.
A Lithuanian court initially banned the parade last week, but that was overturned on appeal and the march went ahead.
For some the parade became an emotional moment.
"I just called my mother and told her I am gay. She was shocked, initially, of course, but I hope she will get over it," Artur, 17, who declined to give his family name, told Reuters.
(Reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis; editing by Myra MacDonald)
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Europe is so far ahead of the United States in recognizing Jesus 2nd of only two commandments: Love thy neighbor as thyself. Almost every western European nation except Italy and Greece accord gay people rights similar or equal to those of heterosexual married people, with Portugal and Ireland about ready to do so.
In the USA we still see systematic hatred and demonization of gay and yes trans people. It’s as if the Inquisition, and the same protestant churches that gave us slavery, the KKK and segregation are still in operation.
Gay people are also part of God’s creation. But as the USA has moved away from hatred of Jews, and Blacks, gay people have become the new victim.
We must all ask ourselves – what is wrong with religions whose “love” seems to be dependent on having a victim to denigrate and hate.
And if that is our religion, we should leave those churches immediately, as almost all of my extended family has done.
That in the end we will be honored in the next life for showing compassion, decency and acceptance. While for those who express their hatred – thats what it is – hatred, of gay people, well God will judge. And it probably won’t be a very nice scene
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