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Gay News: Nineteen anti-gay protesters were arrested and police fired tear gas as more than 1,000 protesters tried to stop Baltic Pride in Vilnius
By: Nigel Robinson
500 marchers faced 1,000 protestors
500 marchers faced 1,000 protestors
Violence marred Baltic Pride in Lithuania over the weekend.
The Baltic Pride March for Equality was originally banned on security grounds, but was eventually allowed to go ahead at the last minute.
Six hundred police were called in to protect the five hundred marchers in Lithuania’s first gay pride march..
The police were forced to use tear gas on ant-gay protesters who were throwing bottles, stones and fireworks at the marchers.
Homosexuality is largely considered taboo in Lithuania where Roman Catholicism is the majority religion. The country, which joined the EU in 2004, has been criticised in the past for its intolerance of sexual minorities.
Roma Pinkeviciene, a school teacher who took part in the march
told Reuters: "Homophobia is a big problem in Lithuania ... I think this is because homophobia here is institutionalised.
