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Resistance See other Resistance Articles Title: Hungary: Protesters attack gay marchers and police guarding them Dozens of protesters clashed with police escorting a march by gays and lesbians through the center of Budapest on Saturday, and two officers were injured and at least 45 demonstrators detained, police said. The protesters pelted the marchers with eggs, bottles and rocks, and threw cobblestones and Molotov cocktails at police, setting fire to a police van. Police used water cannon and tear gas to disperse the protesters at several points along Andrassy Road, a boulevard in downtown Budapest. At least 45 protesters were detained and two police officers injured, police spokeswoman Eva Tafferner said. Katalin Levai, a Hungarian member of the European Parliament, told state news wire MTI that protesters broke the window of a police car she was riding in, along with Gabor Szetey, a former state secretary who last year became the first Hungarian government official to announce he was gay. Levai and Szetey took part in the gay march and were leaving the area near Heroes' Square in the police car when it was attacked. No injuries were reported in the car. The "Dignity March" organized by gay groups began at one end of the boulevard, while the protesters gathered at the opposite end and at other intersections along the way. Police tried to protect the march by setting up high metal barriers on both sides of the road and restricted access to the areas where the march took place. Most of the clashes took place at Heroes' Square, a large open space at the edge of City Park where a monument to historic Hungarian leaders is flanked by two arts museums. Skirmishes between the protesters and police lasted at least three hours before appearing to wind down by about 7 p.m. (1700 GMT). Gay groups said they were marching partly to repudiate several recent attacks against them. A gay bar and a massage parlor were attacked with Molotov cocktails, but no one was injured and little damage was done to the buildings. The protesters, many of them from ultra-nationalist groups, said the gay march was "disgusting" and "shameful," and they vowed to "clean up the filth." Beginning in January 2009, all Hungarians involved in long-term relationships will be allowed to register their partnerships and enjoy some of the benefits of married couples, such as inheriting from each other. This will apply to heterosexuals and gays.
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