Bosnia Women Rights Marchers Attacked in Banja Luka Over LGBT Flag

Participants in the 12th annual women's right protest on March 8 in the Bosnian city of Banja Luka, the administrative centre of Bosnia's Serb-dominated Republika Srpska entity, were verbally and then physically attacked because of one of the participants was carrying a rainbow flag, a symbol of the LGBT community.

Gordana Katana, one of the organisers of the march marking International Women's Day said four young men first verbally called out the participants before the march officially began.  

"After some 50 metres, they came up close and took the [rainbow] flag away, and then hit the other activist who was there," Katana told BIRN. 

As many participants and media recorded both the event and the incident, the organisers identified two out of four perpetrators. 

"Unfortunately, two of them are minors, kids born in 2005, and I think they were instructed," Katana added. 

Police in Republika Srpska told BIRN that the incident had not yet been reported to them. "We are planning to go and report the incident today," Katana said.

According to the organisers, the city of Banja Luka refused to include the march into its public activities "because someone might carry a rainbow or Ukrainian flag, which is what happened last year," as Katana said. 

Human rights' organisations condemned the incident, which happened at a protest at which activists demand equal rights for women, no matter their race, sexual orientation or origin. 

"We will never give in to fascism and bullies. Love will conquer hate," the organisers of Bosnian Pride Parade stated in a press release. 

"Women's rights and LGBTIQ rights movements have been closely linked from the beginning, and lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer women have...