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PRAGUE, Oct. 26 (AP) Thousands rallied in the Czech capital on Wednesday to commemorate two Slovak gay men who were shot dead outside a Slovak bar this month and demand better protections for LGBTQ people and them family.
The rally at Wenceslas Square in central Prague coincides with the funerals of Matúš Horváth and Juraj Vankulic in Slovakia on the same day.
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Police say they have stepped up their presence at the Prague rally after detaining a man who threatened to use a gun against LGBTQ people in a square.
“We want to live without fear,” read one of the banners on display. “A terrorist deliberately killed LGBTQ people,” said Czeslaw Walek, one of the organizers.
“It’s just by accident that he didn’t kill more people.”
So far, about 17,000 people have signed a petition calling on the Czech government and parliament to approve legislation that would give LGBTQ people the same protections as national, racial and other minorities, Valek said. The petition also asks the country to allow same-sex marriage.
The two Slovaks were killed two weeks ago in front of a bar, a popular venue for the local LGBTQ community in the Slovak capital Bratislava.
The 19-year-old suspect was found dead. Police said he likely shot himself in the head.
The suspect tweeted a racist text expressing hatred for Jews and LGBTQ people and posted about the shooting.
Police initially investigated the killings as a hate crime, but later said they suspected it was an act of terror. They said the suspects may have planned to target others, including Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Hague. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from the Syndicated News feed, the body of the content may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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