Hate crimes at gay games (pic: wsvn.com) A Danish man is being charged with a hate crime for allegedly throwing fireworks at athletes during a gay sporting event in Copenhagen. The man is accused of throwing fireworks in the Oesterbro stadium, where the the running competitions of the World Outgames are being held. The only victim is a US athlete, who suffered a light head injury. The alleged attacker was caught by athletes from the Sparta Athletes club when he tried to make a run for it. A court heard that the 31-year-old attacker had not intended to harm the athletes, as he had thrown only one firework against a wall. This is the second such incident to occur in Copenhagen since the Outgames began. The attacks follow on from Sunday, where three gay men from Sweden, Norway and the UK were admitted to hospital following an attack by several youths in the street. Sunday's attackers have also been charged with hate crimes. Copenhagen's openly gay deputy mayor Klaus Bondam has condemned the attacks, saying, "I am actually surprised that this has happened. I would have thought Copenhagen would have been more welcoming towards gays and lesbians from around the world," He told the BBC, "World Outgames have invited people from countries where you can receive the death penalty for being gay. These attacks shows the importance of organising a gay sporting event, to further people's understanding of homosexuality" Around 5,500 participants have come from around the world to be in Copenhagen for an eight day sport and culture event, to promote rights for homosexuals globally.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 30th July 2009 - 1:56pm