(20 Oct 2013) Police used tear gas against dozens of rock-throwing opponents of a gay pride march in staunchly conservative Montenegro on Sunday.
The violence occurred when the attackers tried to push through cordons of hundreds of police who were protecting Sunday's march in the capital, Podgorica.
March organiser Danijel Kalezic said the demonstration was a fight for gay rights.
"We want to fight for our rights because there is no time for waiting, because there are all conditions for the safe pride rally and because it's time to have a big Montenegro pride," he said.
Thanks to police protection, about 150 gay activists were able to walk peacefully through the city.
There was opposition on the streets but police lines kept them from the march, sometimes using tear gas canisters. Two men were seen being detained by police but official arrest numbers have not been released.
Such pride marches are seen as a test of Montenegro's commitment to human rights as it seeks to join the European Union.
Gay rights opponents attacked a similar march in July in the coastal town of Budva.
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