Gay Pride Festival in Helsinki Attacked with Pepper Spray

Every year millions of people across the globe come out to take part in the color and festivity of Gay Pride. It was no different for many this year who were out in Finland for the gay pride parade; the only difference of course was the release of pepper spray that saw three men arrested after their launched attack.

The three men involved who were between the ages of 18 and 20 were stopped by police at the event after they had sprayed dozens of individuals in the Gay Pride parade in Helsinki with their spray canisters.

While no one suffered serious injuries as a result, there were children as young as one year of age who were included in the people who had come into contact with the spray. The three men involved came from three separate cities in Finland, while two of the men present had admitted to Nazi sympathies.

Furthermore one of the 18-year-old men had expressed his views regarding anti-immigrant sentiments, plus his contempt for religious and sexual minorities. The additional 18-year-old had also gone so far as to post his neo-Nazi sympathies on his profile on Facebook.

Unfortunately, in this day and age there are still going to be individuals who have beliefs from a world no longer part of our thinking today. And in public events such as Gay Pride, there will be people present still stuck in the past trying to cause havoc and grief for those who had otherwise planned on a fun, festive and colorful day out.

Yet, while the intention was to create a disturbance in the morale of the people present officers on hand were able to quickly apprehend the men involved, while Helsinki officials condemned the acts that had taken place.

Individuals who decide to use a device such as pepper spray that has been created for a person’s safety in an abusive fashion on innocent people is simply a bully. They are only able to exert their force through means that have been designed for different and better purposes. Of course people who do decide to purchase a self defense device they should utilize the tool when they require it for the protection; not against people who don't deserve it.

Simply because of this, instead of feeling victimized we should in fact feel sorry for those people who are ultimately afraid of what they don’t understand.