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Loading ...Homophobic Attacks Mar EuroPride
07.30.2008 5:00pm EDT
(Stockholm) Homophobic attacks that left two gay men fighting for their lives, two others seriously beaten, and three churches vandalized have shocked this city known for its liberal attitude toward homosexuality.
As EuroPride was getting underway, two gay men in their late 20s were stabbed and robbed.
Police said the men had just shared a kiss when they were accosted by two men yelling gay slurs. They were robbed of their cell phones. When one of the men resisted, he was stabbed in the stomach. The other was stabbed when he tried to fend off the attackers.
The attackers escaped before police arrived on the scene.
Early Wednesday morning, two other gay men were beaten by three men who used gay slurs and denounced EuroPride. Neither of the victims was seriously injured.
Three men aged 17 to 20 were arrested a short time later and charged with assault as a hate crime.
Also Wednesday, three Lutheran churches in Stockholm were vandalized. Authorities said the churches had flyers pasted over the facades of the buildings denouncing EuroPride and containing Biblical condemnations of homosexuality. The flyers also criticized female pastors and loud music.
The Swedish Lutheran Church, the largest denomination in the country, is gay welcoming and has a booth at EuroPride.
The Swedes are very Liberal people yes, but Germany there are many right wing fundamentalist groups who if they got one whiff of a Gay Pride event then they go out their way to cause trouble, we are lucky the swedees are liberal enough as if this happened in States a lot of Preachers would mention it was “Gods wrath” or something crazy like that, what I mean by that is the Europeans know too well there is zero trouble at gay pride events
It just saddens me and makes me sick that in a liberal society such as Sweden such crimes of anger and hate towards the gay community still happen, especially by young men. How fortunate for them that the victims survived such a brutal attack. Along with the charges that will undoubtedly be laid, hopefully these two aren’t beyond learning a few lessons in tolerence and education and just maybe some community service within the gay community would not hurt either.
They were probably from Virginia, just like the ones who went to California to get the marriage amendment signatures.
could be they came from another country (one of the orthodox states).
It could be fundamentalist christianity that has been spreading from the US. Check out a youtube video called “Radical Christianity Attacking Britain”. I’ve heard that this sort of christianity has been spreading to other European countries as well.
I am not shocked at all. until recently we had in Europe a very tuff legislation and normative against fascism. but these days the right to free speech has interfered with the issue of hate speech and hate crime. to the point that in Hungary a judge has passed the sentence that throwing eggs at people is a way to express your opinion.
we had a huge attack on the Gay pride in Budapest, and in other European cities to, where things like this did not happen until 2 years ago.
Come now, haven’t you figured it out yet? It was OLD people, REALLY old people. They denounced “Loud Music” Who has a problem with loud music? Only old people. Or nutters, but I’ve never met a nutter who didn’t like a good zen song blasted at 11
The Swedes are so liberal,so this surprises me.Maybe they were skinheads,neo nazis,or muslims.But even liberal San Francisco has gay haters.
Hmmmm…perhaps outside agitators with an agenda to discredit the viability of equality for gay citizens? Also, tying in religion thru inclusion of churches, even tho it was the disruptors who damaged the churches, it brings in the only real organized threat to gay equality: Religion.
Now, who would be interested in doing that? Hmmmmm….Can you say CIA? Or is that too foil-hat-time? Except, as a registered foil-hat conspiracy nutter who has been right about the last four or five conspiracies, including the manufacture of the Iraq war…