ZAGREB, Croatia — Hundreds of gay rights supporters in conservative and mainly Catholic Croatia staged a protest on Saturday, on the eve of a constitutional referendum that could outlaw same-sex marriage in the EU's newest member state.
More than 1,000 people braved the cold and rainy weather to gather in a square in downtown Zagreb for a protest march against Sunday's vote, which they see as discriminatory.
"Voters will decide if they want members of a minority group to be permanently labeled second class citizens," gay rights activist Sanja Juras said.
Demonstrators taking part in the "I vote against" march carried banners in rainbow colors, reading: "Homosexuality is not a choice but hatred is" and "Let's protect all loves."
The referendum on whether to amend the country's constitution to define marriage as a "union between a woman and a man" is the result of a Church-backed initiative. Croatia's constitution currently does not define marriage.
The vote has sparked a heated public debate and has split the country's 4.2 million inhabitants.
Many conservatives in Croatia, which joined the European Union this year, began fearing that same-sex marriage would be allowed in the country after the center-left government announced a bill enabling gay couples to register as "life partners."
In May, the Church-backed In the Name of the Family group collected over 700,000 signatures seeking a nationwide vote on same-sex unions.
The government, human rights activists and prominent public figures have said they are against the referendum, urging people to cast a 'no' vote.
But in a country where almost 90 percent of population are Roman Catholics, the Church has vehemently urged followers to vote "yes."
"Marriage is the only union enabling procreation," said Croatia's Cardinal Josip Bozanic in a letter read out in churches.
"This is the key difference between a marriage . . . and other unions."
The latest survey showed that 68 percent of Croatians on Sunday would vote "yes" compared to 27 percent against.
Attitudes towards gay rights have slowly been improving since Croatia's first Gay Pride parade was held in Zagreb in 2002, when dozens of participants were beaten up by extremists.
Pride parades are now staged regularly if still under strong security, while gay rights activism has developed, the issue is more openly discussed in the media and people are becoming less fearful of "coming out".
In 2003 Croatia adopted a law recognizing same-sex couples who have lived together for at least three years. Yet apart from official acknowledgment, the measure granted them few rights.
Sunday's vote is the first citizens-initiated referendum since Croatia's independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991.
Under Croatian law, a referendum does not require a majority voter turnout to be valid.