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(Warsaw) More than 2,500 people ignored an order
from the mayor of Warsaw and marched through the Polish capital Saturday.
Hundreds of police officers were on hand to keep
order, but did not try to stop the march. Some officers joined in the parade to
cheers from the marchers
Members of a right wing group got into skirmishes
with marchers. At the beginning of the parade the group hurled insults at the
marchers. Several rushed through a barricade in an attempt to beat
marchers. Others lay down in the street in an effort to stop the
parade. They were dragged to the curb by police.
Dozens of youths from a militant group were
waiting as the marchers arrived at the Parliament buildings and pelted the crowd
with eggs. Police struggled to try to regain order, but were vastly
outnumbered.
There were no serious injuries. About a dozen
people on both sides were arrested and later released a police spokesperson
said.
Many of the marchers carried signs reading "Justice
for all". A number of people who joined in the parade were not gay.
"I'm hetero myself, but I quite simply
support these people, because they have the right to express themselves as
they want," one man told Polish Radio.
At a rally in front of the Parliament building
gay rights leaders joined by Deputy Prime Minister Izabela Jaruga-Nowacka and
Tomasz Nałęcz, the deputy speaker of Parliament.
“I am here to express my protest against the
Mayor’s decision which is a violation of the Polish constitution and of civic
rights," said Nalecz to wild cheers. " I am here to show my
respect for the Polish tradition of tolerance.”
Warsaw mayor Lech Kaczynski last month banned
Pride organizers from holding the parade. (story)
Kaczynski said he is "for tolerance, but am
against propagating gay orientation". The ultra conservative mayor
who is seeking the Polish presidency said that a Pride parade would detract from
the unveiling of a monument the same day to Gen Stefan Rowecki, a leader of
Poland's anti-Nazi underground army during World War II.
Last year, Kaczynski banned Pride, saying he
feared clashes between gay rights groups and opponents who planned a
counter-demonstration.
International Lesbian & Gay Association last
week urged the European Union to intervene and exert pressure on the Polish
government to allow the parade to go forward. (story)
Following today's parade Kaczynski
condemned police for not using force to stop the march and for arresting people
who tried to disrupt the parade.
"Today, the police undertook to protect an
illegal demonstration by gay and lesbian organizations but drastically attacked
other illegal gatherings," Kaczynski said in a statement. "This
situation constitutes an infringement of the principles of social
coexistence."
©365Gay.com 2005
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