The police arrested 137 people, including 25 underage protesters who caused incidents during the first gay pride parade in the biggest Croatian coastal city of Split on Saturday. Eight persons were injured in violence, the Split police said at a news conference on Saturday evening.

Local police officials said that the police had done their job well, they had ensured a route for the pride parade of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community and saw to it that the event could be performed as planned on the Riva main waterfront promenade.

The police also apprehended a man who had thrown a very strong firecracker at the parade and in this incident a police officer sustained injuries.

According to the police estimates, the gay parade brought together 150 participants at Riva, while nearby streets were packed with 10,000 people with 8,000 of them protesting against the parade.

The police also used a helicopter and a police boat to control the situation during the parade from 1400 to 1630 hrs Saturday.

Commenting on the injuries, the police said that reporters covering events and police officers sustained injures as well as one anti-parade protester while he was being apprehended and the police announced an investigation in this case.

The police reported that anti-parade protesters had thrown stones, shoes, paint, tomatoes and a gas mask at the parade.

After the LGBT parade, the police drove the parade participants in police cars to a bus taking them to their homes.


Croatian Prime Minister Kosor condemns violence at Gay Pride parade in Split
Commenting on the violence seen at the Saturday Gay Pride parade in Split, Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor condemned on Sunday any kind of violent behaviour.

She warned that constitutional values and the Anti-discrimination Act ban discrimination against anyone. Kosor said that she has information that 137 individuals were arrested and expressed belief that the police were performing their duty in keeping with regulations.

The Croatian PM said that she heard from Interior Minister Tomislav Karamarko two times on Saturday after she received the information about the violent incident, and voiced her belief that the police did their job well. When asked what she would say to Split citizens who are ashamed of the fascist outbursts of their fellow-citizens, Kosor reiterated that she condemns any kind of violence, regardless of who the aggressor and the victim of aggression might be.

The PM also noted that the fact that reporters were attacked on Saturday as well clearly shows what kind of consequences violence and hatred can trigger. This is something that cannot be tolerated in Croatia, Kosor stated.