Croatian Opponents and Supporters of Abortion Hold Marches

Opponents of abortion in mainly Catholic Croatia on Saturday joined "Walks for Life" in the eastern city of Osijek and in Rijeka in the west.

Organisers said they wanted to stage a peaceful walk at which people could "give support to the every child, born and unborn, his mother, father, and every family", underlining the need for the "protection of human life from conception to natural death".

This is the second year the event has been held in the coastal city of Rijeka and the first time in Osijek.

The walks gather socially conservative and religious organisations and anti-abortion supporters.

But in Rijeka, a counter-event, called the "Walk for freedom", is also again taking place, staged by an initiative called Citizens of Rijeka, which is organising its own walk in opposition to what deems the rise of socially conservative views in Croatia.

Encouraged by last year's march, when more than 2,000 people gathered "for a better Rijeka and better Croatia", the organizers said that "strength of a community was felt in the city long after the gathering".

Abortion is legal in Croatia without restrictions up to the tenth week but numbers have fallen massively since the 1990s, partly because many doctors now refuse to conduct them.

A counter-event in Rijeka, called the "Walk for freedom". Photo: Martina Salov.

A counter-event in Rijeka, called the "Walk for freedom" and a banner that reads: "For choice, for diversity, for love". Photo: Martina Salov.

A counter-event in Rijeka, called the "Walk for freedom". Photo: Martina Salov.

A counter-event in Rijeka, called the "Walk for freedom". Photo: Martina Salov.

A counter-event in Rijeka, called the "Walk for freedom". Photo: Martina...