Bomb At Sau Paulo Pride, 21 Hurt

A bomb was tossed from a rooftop into the crowd at Sao Paulo Pride on Sunday, but luckily only 21 people suffered minor injuries.

At least 21 people were injured when a homemade bomb exploded at a spot where participants gathered after the gay pride parade in Brazil’s largest city, authorities said Monday. The explosive device was thrown around 9:00 p.m. Sunday in a square in downtown Sao Paulo where there are a number of nightclubs and which has become an area frequented by gays and lesbians. Present at the time of the attack were dozens of people who had taken part a few hours earlier in the 13th edition of the gay pride parade that, with close to 3 million participants, is considered the biggest demonstration in the world in defense of gays. The bomb explosion scattered shrapnel, injuring many of those at the scene where 21 people had to be treated by a team of doctors and paramedics that had been mobilized for the parade. Most of the injuries were not serious and only five people had to be taken to hospital, doctors said.

Three other pride attendees were attacked in unrelated incidents. Sao Paulo's is the largest gay pride event in the world. The author of popular gay blog Made In Brazil comments that he did not attend his pride event this year for several reasons with "1,200 police officers for 3 million people being one of them."