Gay rights rally in Poland sparks violence News
Gay rights rally in Poland sparks violence

[JURIST] Violence broke out on the streets of the Polish capital Warsaw [official website, English version] Saturday when right-wing activists confronted over 2,000 homosexuals marching for gay rights in the predominantly Catholic country. Three people were injured and ten were arrested after counter-demonstrators opposed to Warsaw Pride threw eggs and placed barricades in front of the parade route. The rally was held despite a ban [AAP report; protest petition against ban] by conservative Warsaw mayor Lech Kaczynski [Wikipedia profile; official profile in English], a likely candidate [campaign website in Polish] to succeed current Polish president Aleksander Kwasniewski in elections this October, who said that there was an error in the filing of the parade application [MP3 audio; Radio Polonia report in English]. The International Lesbian and Gay Association [advocacy website] offers background on recent gay rights issues in Poland. AFP has more.