A group of young men attacked activists of the "BH Pride March" on Saturday evening in the Banjaluka. Under heavy police escort, the activists were taken to the Banjaluka Police Department after the attack, where they are currently giving statements to the police.
Melani Isovic, a member of the Organizing Committee of the BH Pride March organisation, told N1 that a group of young men, believed to be football hooligans, physically attacked a group of activists near the premises of Transparency International BiH.
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The incident comes after the Banjaluka Police Department banned a public gathering the association planned to organise in the city on Saturday.
A day prior, a group of hooligans paraded through the streets of the center of Banjaluka shouting death threats targeting members of the LGBT community and the city center was plastered with photos of crossed rainbow flags on public lighting poles and traffic signals.
The President of BiH’s Republika Srpska (RS) entity, Milorad Dodik, urged local police to prevent the gathering of the LGBT activists after representatives of 13 associations and organizations previously wrote to him, threateningthey would prevent it if police fails to do so.
