ZAGREB (Reuters) - Thousands of Croat conservatives protested on Saturday against the proposed ratification of a European treaty that describes gender as a “social role,” fearing it could undermine traditional family values in the predominantly Catholic country.
The protesters marched down the main streets of the capital Zagreb, carrying a huge banner reading “Stop the Istanbul (Convention) for Sovereign Croatia,” waving national flags and singing patriotic songs.
Earlier this week, Croatia’s conservative government adopted the treaty, designed to combat violence against women, despite opposition from within its own ranks, conservative groups and the local Catholic Church.
While supporting the protection of women, opponents object to the treaty’s definition of gender, which they say paves way for introducing transsexual or transgender as separate categories, which they oppose.
Last month, the same treaty was rejected in two other eastern European Union countries, Bulgaria and Slovakia, for similar objections about the definition of gender as “social roles, behaviors, activities and characteristics that a particular society considers appropriate for women and men.” Read more via Reuters