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(Warsaw) Heavily armed riot police arrested more
than 65 gays and lesbians who refused to disband when they attempted to hold a
gay pride march in the city of Poznan on Saturday.
Last week, Poznan's city administrator refused to
issue a parade permit saying that the march would “be a serious danger
to social order and property.” (story)
Organizers of the parade said that the city government had bowed to pressure
from the ruling Law and Justice Party and from the League of Polish Families and
Poznan's Roman Catholic Archbishop.
LGBT civil rights group the Campaign Against Homophobia
decided to go ahead with the march anyway.
As the LGBT march was coming to an end police
took up positions blocking the street. On the sidewalks dozens of members
of an ultra-right youth group hurled insults at the marchers.
When gay marchers refused a police order, yelled
through a bullhorn, to disband the riot squad moved in. Several marchers sat
down in the street in silent protest and were dragged off. Others say they
attempted to disband but had nowhere to go because of the riot police at either
end of the street marching toward them and a hostile crowd lining the sidewalk.
"They were dragging us around on the
street," a demonstrator told the Warsaw Independent news agency.
"I was put in a police car, driven to a
police station, and charged with taking part in an illegal gathering," the
demonstrator said, adding he will be tried for a misdemeanor.
The Campaign against Homophobia
issued statement accusing police of brutality.
A member of the Democratic Left
Alliance in the Polish Parliament has filed an official
complaint with the federal government accusing police of
violating the Polish Constitution and the European Union's
civil rights laws.
Poland is already under a
warning from the EU not to try to limit the rights of gays and
lesbians. (story)
Last month the European Commission said that if the government
continues to oppose gay rights Poland risks losing its voting
rights in the EU.
That warning followed the
election of Warsaw mayor Lech Kaczynski to the Polish
presidency.
In June, as Wasaw mayor,
Kaczynski refused to grant permission for a gay pride parade
in the capital. (story) Nevertheless,
more than 2,500 people ignored the order and marched anyway. (story)
Opponents threw eggs and stones at the marchers, and police
detained 29 people.
©365Gay.com 2005
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