Lithuania's gay pride parade sparks protest - Summary

Vilnius - The Baltic Pride gay parade took place in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius Saturday, with hundreds of participants facing off against thousands of anti-gay protesters.

A heavy police contingent backed up by strategic road closures kept the opposing parties on opposite banks of the River Neris.

The parade was given a last-minute go-ahead Friday, after an an earlier court-imposed ban.

Organizers said they hoped the parade would draw attention to intolerance of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transsexuals in staunchly Roman Catholic Lithuania.

The protesters claimed the parade glorified homosexuality at the expense of traditional family values.

"Lithuania is a democracy. We are not a barbaric country, but this sort of thing should be kept private," said a protester who gave his name as Domatas.

Around 3,000 protesters lined the banks of the river Neris and occupied an area around the landmark Reval hotel.

Most simply stood and watched, but a few chanted slogans including "Death to gays" and "Lithuania for Lithuanians" and expressed anger towards President Dalia Grybauskaite.

Trouble briefly threatened to flare when the protesters threw water bottles into police lines and set off a smoke bomb, but with riot police lining up for action the crowd calmed.

Vilnius county police chief Kestutis Lancinskas said 19 people had been arrested for public order offenses including carrying offensive weapons.

Two members of the Lithuanian parliament were among those detained. The MPs would be charged with attempting to incite a riot, Lancinskas told reporters.

A member of Germany's parliament, Volker Beck, who was among the marchers, told the German Press Agency dpa he was attending Baltic Pride in order to put pressure on the Lithuanian government.

"This is a signal to the Lithuanian government that we are in Europe and lesbian and gay people have equal rights. I would like it if German people would have the courage to do the same," Beck said.

"Gay and lesbian people don't ask for something special, just for the protection of their human rights," he added.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/322646,lithuanias-gay-pride-parade-sparks-protest--summary.html.