gay pride croatia face 10,000 (!) bigots

[Sasha]

Ustase fuckheads



Split Gay Pride Abandoned Amid Riots by 10,000 Anti-Gay Protesters (http://www.ukgaynews.org.uk/Archive/11/Jun/1104.htm)
Trouble flares 24 hours after Brussels OKs Croatian membership of EU

From a special correspondent
SPLIT, June 11, 2011 – Thugs and extremists, many throwing stones, firecrackers, eggs, and bottles, brought an end this afternoon to the first Gay Pride to be staged in the port city of Split, southern Croatia.
Nearly 300 joined the Parade. But they were faced by an estimated 10,000 protesters.
The trouble came 24 hours after the European Union announced that Croatia would be able to join the EU in 2013 – and the Croatian government pledging to protect human rights.
State television is reporting this evening that “dozens” have been arrested and “several” injuries have been reported.
By a spokesperson for the Split police has said that 300 had been arrested, with 81 charged with public disorder.
Five people had been hospitalised at 4pm, officials reported. Several journalists are said to be among those injured.
The almost 300 participants in the Pride March were escorted by two hundred policemen. But they, and the riot police with tear gas, could do little to prevent trouble.
Continual shouts of “kill the fags”, “we are Croats” and “kill the queers – Serb kills” were directed at march participants who were also subjected to having an assortment of missiles thrown at them.
The attacks in Split this afternoon came shortly after the visit to Croatia by the Pope. The theme of the visit was supporting the Catholic family. Several Croatian bishops have condemned what they call “unnatural families”
Activist Sanja Juras from the Kontra gay association told Slobodna Dalmacija: “Unfortunately, the police should go to a course on how to protect a parade”.
Reuters is reporting that there were four journalists were among the dozen injured.

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4mvNBtYKFTA

my deepest respect to these courageous people, i'm also really happy i saw an AFA flag among the marchers...

[Admiral Swagmeister G-Funk]

Such a terrible shame that these people can't openly celebrate their sexuality without these kinds of disgusting attacks. I feel for them, what kind of sick and bigoted world do we live in? I extend my respect to these courageous people too, but I feel cynical in thinking that they have to deal with this shit. Sometimes a lack of faith in humanity can creep into your mind upon hearing news like this.

[the last donut of the night]

events like these always freak me the fuck out, because the country i live in is also profoundly homophobic. they also raise an important question, too (or at least it's a question i've been thinking about recently): how can revolutionaries work within the working classes with workers to end these prejudices that in fact weaken the class by tying it to the reactionary, bourgeois cultural structure? how can we do it without seeming arrogant and, most importantly, elitist (for example, the gay movement in the west has been usurped by the liberal bourgeoisie for so long that now homosexuality is seen by some workers as something of the elite -- or how about communists long chanted that homosexuality was a "bourgeois" behavior?)

just askin questions

[Pawn Power]

Those people in the parade sure are brave.

[freya4]

These sort of people truly disgust me. I never understood the need some people have to poke their heads into others' private lives and personal preferences. I think a lot of it has to do with the influence of religion, as Croatia and the Balkans in general, at least when compared to other European countries, tend to be quite religious. What is really infuriates me, however, is the nerve of the Catholics to speak of "sexual perversion" and "unnatural acts". They don't exactly have the best track record there.

[Queercommie Girl]

In Eastern Europe, there are quite a few Marxists among the anti-LGBT camp. They consider LGBT to be a "bourgeois deviation".

[Revy]

events like these always freak me the fuck out, because the country i live in is also profoundly homophobic. they also raise an important question, too (or at least it's a question i've been thinking about recently): how can revolutionaries work within the working classes with workers to end these prejudices that in fact weaken the class by tying it to the reactionary, bourgeois cultural structure? how can we do it without seeming arrogant and, most importantly, elitist (for example, the gay movement in the west has been usurped by the liberal bourgeoisie for so long that now homosexuality is seen by some workers as something of the elite -- or how about communists long chanted that homosexuality was a "bourgeois" behavior?)

just askin questions

Don't worry at all what they think, leftists should not shy away from criticizing reactionary workers, these people are also racist against other Yugoslav groups, and xenophobic, and I'm sure they think we are arrogant and elitist and oversensitive liberal for objecting to that. The movement against homophobia is no different. Who cares what those bigots think. 10,000 is a lot but it is not the entire Croatian working class. They are probably all from the far-right which is big there.

In America it is the same with people thinking it is more "working class" to be a bigot. The conservatives portray themselves as the voice of the blue collar worker, as if they represent working class interests.

[Decolonize The Left]

events like these always freak me the fuck out, because the country i live in is also profoundly homophobic. they also raise an important question, too (or at least it's a question i've been thinking about recently): how can revolutionaries work within the working classes with workers to end these prejudices that in fact weaken the class by tying it to the reactionary, bourgeois cultural structure? how can we do it without seeming arrogant and, most importantly, elitist (for example, the gay movement in the west has been usurped by the liberal bourgeoisie for so long that now homosexuality is seen by some workers as something of the elite -- or how about communists long chanted that homosexuality was a "bourgeois" behavior?)

just askin questions

I'd say that you lay your support down where it's necessary, such as with the GLBTQ community in their quest for equal rights. Yet as you do so, you let folks know that you're on their side but you want to frame their struggle within the greater context of capitalism.

- August