LGBTQ citizens of South Korea have filed complaints against Christian pastors and groups after they acted violently during last year’s Pride.
Last year, Incheon, South Korea held its first Pride festival called the Incheon Queer Culture Festival. Unfortunately, Christian protesters became violent at the event, according to local news source Incheon Today.
Around 1,000 Christian protestors showed up to the event. They delayed the parade by blocking parade marchers from beginning the procession. This led to the 20-minute parade taking five hours to complete.
Unfortunately, that was only the start of the night as protestors then became more violent. Car tires were punctured, flags were smashed, and other equipments were destroyed in street fights, according to event organizers.
“Our flags and banners were damaged by anti-gay protesters, and we could not eat nor use the bathroom throughout the entire day,” said organizing group Rainbow Mama Papa in a statement.
“We express our gratitude to those who stayed with us in spite of such violence, especially the festival organizers who made their utmost efforts to ensure our safety. We’ll always be with the LGBT community in future.”
Organizers of the Pride event have now lodged complaints with the National Human Rights Commission of Korea.
While it is legal to be gay in South Korea, there is still a lot of anti-gay protesting against LGBTQ people.
For instance, the events at last year’s Seoul Queer Parade were polarizing. While that event was full of joy and love, it was also filled with a lot of hate.
The event was joined by around 30,000 people in support of LGBTQ life and rights, but an almost equal amount of protestors showed up to object to the event. Some protestors stood silently while holding signs saying, “We will wait. We love you. Come back to us.” Meanwhile, others yelled out anti-gay chants and slammed drums.
In reaction, organizers of the event held a press conference in February to ask police and the government to protect LGBTQ citizens and not give in to conservative groups.
Sources: Incheon Today, Gay Star News
