Budapest Police start investigation against anti-gay protesters
14/08/2011
Submitted by
Háttér Support Society for LGBT People
Budapest, August 8, 2011 – The Organized Crime Unit of the Budapest Police has started investigation on charges of incitement to hatred and violence against a member of a community against homophobic protesters who were planning on disrupting the Gay Pride March and who assaulted gay pride marchers leaving the premises. According to current legislation group violence against members of the LGBT community can be sanctioned by as much as eight year imprisonment.
Following incidents in previous years, this year’s Budapest Pride March held on June 18 did not end without atrocities either. Anti-gay protesters were gathering along the route of the march under the leadership of László Toroczkai, well-known head of an extreme right-wing movement in Hungary. The police managed to stop violent attacks against the march by fencing off anti-gay protesters shouting homophobic and anti-Semitic slogans and rerouting the march. After lifting the fences, however, the steamed-up mob marched to the end of the Gay Pride March route, where they insulted and assaulted participants leaving the march.
Rainbow Mission Foundation, the organizer of the March and the legal aid service of Háttér Support Society for LGBT People have reported four incidents that potentially qualify as incitement to hatred or violence against a member of a community. At Octagon Square three anti-gay protesters held up posters calling for the extermination of gays with reference to the Holocaust. According to a video prepared by news portal index.hu one of the anti-gay protesters proudly claimed he came to beat up gays. According to the same news portal a group of anti-gay protesters were following words of command to hunt down LGBT people and their friends leaving the march. A video of a larger group of extremists beating up a man carrying a pro-gay sign was posted on the website of extreme-right wing Szent Korona Radio.
The crime of violence against a member of a community was introduced in Hungary in February 2009 by extending the existing hate crimes legislation. According to the new law acts of threats and violence are sanctioned more severely if the attack is motivated by the real or perceived belonging of the victim to a social group, such as racial, ethnic or religious minorities or the LGBT community. The new law also penalizes preparation for hate crimes, that is calling for such an act or agreeing to commit such an act is already punishable without the actual attack being committed.
As opposed to the existing legislation only a tiny proportion of such attacks are investigated as hate crimes: authorities tend to disregard the hate motivation and victims are reluctant to report them because they fear prejudices on behalf of the police. In order to encourage the reporting of homophobic and transphobic incidents, Háttér Support Society for LGBT People started an online reporting interface available at www.jelentsd-a-homofobiat.hu.
Tamás Dombos
Háttér Society for LGBT People
http://www.hatter.hu
Following incidents in previous years, this year’s Budapest Pride March held on June 18 did not end without atrocities either. Anti-gay protesters were gathering along the route of the march under the leadership of László Toroczkai, well-known head of an extreme right-wing movement in Hungary. The police managed to stop violent attacks against the march by fencing off anti-gay protesters shouting homophobic and anti-Semitic slogans and rerouting the march. After lifting the fences, however, the steamed-up mob marched to the end of the Gay Pride March route, where they insulted and assaulted participants leaving the march.
Rainbow Mission Foundation, the organizer of the March and the legal aid service of Háttér Support Society for LGBT People have reported four incidents that potentially qualify as incitement to hatred or violence against a member of a community. At Octagon Square three anti-gay protesters held up posters calling for the extermination of gays with reference to the Holocaust. According to a video prepared by news portal index.hu one of the anti-gay protesters proudly claimed he came to beat up gays. According to the same news portal a group of anti-gay protesters were following words of command to hunt down LGBT people and their friends leaving the march. A video of a larger group of extremists beating up a man carrying a pro-gay sign was posted on the website of extreme-right wing Szent Korona Radio.
The crime of violence against a member of a community was introduced in Hungary in February 2009 by extending the existing hate crimes legislation. According to the new law acts of threats and violence are sanctioned more severely if the attack is motivated by the real or perceived belonging of the victim to a social group, such as racial, ethnic or religious minorities or the LGBT community. The new law also penalizes preparation for hate crimes, that is calling for such an act or agreeing to commit such an act is already punishable without the actual attack being committed.
As opposed to the existing legislation only a tiny proportion of such attacks are investigated as hate crimes: authorities tend to disregard the hate motivation and victims are reluctant to report them because they fear prejudices on behalf of the police. In order to encourage the reporting of homophobic and transphobic incidents, Háttér Support Society for LGBT People started an online reporting interface available at www.jelentsd-a-homofobiat.hu.
Tamás Dombos
Háttér Society for LGBT People
http://www.hatter.hu
