Right-wing protesters attack Budapest gay pride march

Several hundred right-wing demonstrators threw eggs, mineral water, and nylon sacks filled with sand as the annual Gay Pride parade proceeded along Andrássy út on Saturday afternoon. Policed detained eight people and charged them with hooliganism.

The counter-demonstrators followed the procession of some 2,000 gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transvestites and their supporters on three trucks and on foot from Heroes' Square to the Danube. The situation grew more tense at 6 p.m. when the parade got stuck outside the Buddha Beach bar on the Danube, because no one had the key. Marchers and counter-demonstrators were jammed together on Közraktár utca, but police restored order.

A counter-demonstration was organised by the far right Jobbik party near Oktogon and on Dohány utca.

Gays were attacked in several places in the hours following the procession. A German man received the worst blow in Pipa utca in the Ninth District, when assailants struck him on the head with a beer bottle.

A member of the Free Democrats New Generation was also injured by far-right groups on Saturday, leader András Léderer told reporters.

The above story is just one of more than two dozen published today by Hungary Around the Clock, the most comprehensive source of daily English-language news about Hungary. For a free trial of HATC, click here. Hungarian news sources include Népszabadság; Magyar Hírlap; Világgazdaság; Napi Gazdaság; Magyar Nemzet; Népszava; Kossuth Rádió news and Hungarian television's nightly news broadcast.

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