20. 06. 11. - 16:00

Austrian homosexuals arrested in Hungary

Two Austrians attending a gay rights demonstration in Hungary were put in custody overnight at the weekend after a controversial incident, it has been revealed.

A group of Hungarians – described as neo-Nazi mobsters by the Austrians – accused the men of having attacked them. Police arrested the duo on Saturday and only released them the following day. The Austrian men are facing charges for disobedience, according to Austrian newspaper reports from today (Mon).

The duo were members of a group of 50 Austrians travelling to Budapest to participate in the Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade. While the Austrians claim local nationalists attacked them with pepper spray, the neo-Nazis told police the opposite was the case. All members of the group of Austrians had been preliminarily detained. Police confiscated their passports during interrogation.

The street march attended by more than 1,500 people was marred by Hungarian nationalists and radicals shouting abusive rants at the crowds who had to be protected by police from becoming victims of physical attacks.

The incidents occurred just days after tens of thousands of locals pounced on around 300 people forming a march for the rights of homosexuals in Split, Croatia.