Neo-Nazis and Christians Terrorize Gay Pride Rally

Saturday July 29, 2006

A gay pride rally held in Riga, Latvia, on July 22 was seriously disrupted by Christians, extreme nationalists, and neo-Nazis who all objected to the idea of gays seeking social and political equality. Many individuals were assaulted on the assumption that they must be gay simply because they were in the area and, according to reports, the police did little to nothing to protect people from the Nazis.

UK Gay News reports:

The Riga Pride rally in the Reval Hotel was under siege all day by protesters from the anti-gay “No Pride” movement – a highly organised alliance of Christian fundamentalists, ultra-nationalists and neo-Nazis.

They roamed the streets outside the hotel, looking for gays and lesbians to attack. Anyone who looked gay was liable to abuse and assault, even passing tourists. The police seemed to stand back and let them to terrorise people with impunity.

There was only a small police presence outside the Reval Hotel. Officers allowed the around 250 highly belligerent anti-gay protesters to completely blockade the hotel entrance. Several innocent guests were assaulted by the mob, on mere suspicion that they were gay.

At one point, a group of neo-Nazis infiltrated the second floor of the hotel, where the indoor rally was taking place. They tore up Mozaika posters, abused and threatened Riga Pride participants, and assaulted openly gay pastor, Rev Maris Sants, as he arrived. Non-white gays and lesbians were abused as ‘mixed race scum.’

Gay activists had to hold the rally indoors because a court upheld a ban on the a public march. The Reval Hotel may not agree to accommodating such a rally again in the future because the inaction of the police forced hotel management to quickly hire private (and armed) security guards.

Many of the Riga Pride participants were trapped in the hotel for up to seven hours; afraid of being attacked if they tried to leave. Over several hours, participants were eventually evacuated in mini-buses via a rear entrance. As they left, some of the vehicles were pounded with fists and pelted with eggs by the anti-gay crowd.

Latvia has committed itself to human rights as a member of the European Union, but it doesn’t sound as though this commitment has filtered down to the ranks of police in the Latvian capital. The government has effectively sent the message that religious extremists can intimidate and terrorize minorities if they want and nothing will be done to stop them. This time it was gays, but how long will it be before it’s Jews or immigrants?

Justifying the ban on Riga Pride on public order grounds, the city authorities said they had received threats of serious, organised violence by homophobic religious, nationalist and fascist groups. They claim Riga Pride is the ‘biggest security risk’ to the country since Latvia won its independence from the Soviet Union.

In other words, the civil rights of a despised minority can be restricted in Latvia so long as extremist opponents are willing to make a credible threat of violence against that minority. This means that Latvia isn’t so much a democracy as it is a state which bends in whichever direction the most violent terrorist groups push it. Instead of protecting the safety and civil rights of all Latvians, the government is simply aiding the interests of terrorists.

The unwillingness of the judges to disclose the nature of the threats or who made them is curious. Moreover, the judges took the extraordinary step of declaring details of the threats a ‘state secret’ which will remain classified, top secret information for five years.

The court met in closed session. Lawyers for Riga Pride were required to sign a statement that they will not disclose anything about the threats or the security grounds used to justify the ban – not even to their clients.

It sounds like the Latvian government has been taking lessons on how to rule from George W. Bush. How long will it be before the Latvian government decides to close synagogues because authorities receive “threats of serious, organized violence” by anti-Semitic and fascist groups? Hey, it’s no different from denying gays the right to march because of threats of violence. Either the excuse is insincere, in which case it’s just a way to avoid admitting that the government is as homophobic as the Christian and Nazi protesters, or it’s sincere, in which case the government admits to being unable to control anti-democratic extremists and fascist terrorists on its own territory.

Gay Rights, Gay Marriage, and Religion:

Gay Rights, Gay Marriage, and the Law: