senegalese anti-gay protesters teargased

By Staff Writer (afrol News)

SENEGAL – February 19, 2008: Senegalese police clashed with hundreds of people protesting against the publication of photos of an alleged wedding betwen two men in the country. Police fired teargas to contain the large crowd.

A local magazine, Icone, broke the story in early February. The publication followed arrest and detention of homosexuals who were later released without charge. Icone's editor claimed he has since received several death threats for exposing homosexuals in a society where they face social stigma and blackmail.

The protesters, who were issued permit, had been teargased after they started blocading roads and burning rubbish at the central mosque in the capital Dakar.

Protesters blamed the police for trying to ban anti-homosexual demonstrations.

Chanting Allahu Akbar [God is great], the protesters said homosexuals must not be tolerated in Senegal, a country that criminalises homosexuality and homosexuals. Those found guilty of practising the act could be jailed between one and five years.

Most protesters were angered by the government's decision to release the detained homosexuals without explanations, an act that is tantamount to accepting the practice.

Right activists have urged Senegal to decriminalise homosexuality. South Africa has become the first country in Africa that legalised same-sex marriage in 2006. Most African countries view homosexuality as a dirty western culture that must not be tolerated.