Police prevent major disturbances at Gay Pride march

Budapest's gay dignity march was held on Saturday afternoon without major disturbances, under strict police control. After the event, however, anti-gay protesters attacked police in the city centre.

Around 1,500 people set off before 3 pm, marching from Heroes' Square along Andrassy Boulevard to Erzsebet Square. The route was secured with metal barriers, with heavy police presence in nearby streets and a police helicopter circling above the marchers.

Several well-known politicians and public personalities participated in the march, including former Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany and his wife, liberal opposition Free Democrats MP Matyas Eorsi, former Free Democrat MP Tamas Bauer and writer Peter Kende. Representatives of Amnesty International, the Dignity to Everyone Movement, the Democratic Charta and other civil organisations were also present in the march.

Considerable traffic restrictions were in force during the event.

Anti-gay protesters tried to disrupt the march several times but they were held up by police. The protesters were following the march in parallel streets, shouting obscenities and abuses at gay paraders. There were around 100 protesters gathering at the Basilica near Erzsebet Square when the march got there around 4 pm.

Only the marchers were allowed to accede the Deak Square metro station from where separate services took them away.

Around 500 anti-gay protesters attacked police at the City Hall park and police used tear gas to push them back in the direction of Astoria. The protesters, many of them skinheads, were pelting stones and bottles at police officers.

By around 4:30 pm, police dispersed some 300-400 protesters who had been gathering on Deak Square.

Police started taking down the metal barriers at the junction of Deak Square and Karoly Avenue shortly before 5 pm and normal traffic was allowed to enter the area.

By 6pm, traffic was back to normal throughout the city.

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