GRATEFUL AND STUNNED

This year, the Night March Osijek "WOMAN WITH A VOICE" gathered a truly large number of us Osijek citizens in a wide and long procession. We showed how much we appreciate the brave women and various movements around the world and Croatia, who for more than a century have contributed to resisting discrimination and to the rooting of the practice and culture of equality, respect for the dignity and rights of women. Together, we have expressed our willingness to persevere on this path. As one of the organizers of the March, this is encouragement and inspiration.

We are sincerely grateful to all of you! Special thanks to the speakers who pointed out important elements in the efforts of citizens to influence policies and decisions on matters that concern them.

We are shocked and saddened by the, most likely, planned provocation of a group of young men who entered our midst and used abusive language and gestures, threw eggs and attempted to provoke a physical conflict.

We are very sorry for those of you who directly experienced the inconvenience and felt unsafe! If we can help you in any way to overcome the potentially negative consequences, please feel free to contact us.

The police were notified at the event itself and are conducting an investigation to identify and punish the perpetrators, which we are monitoring and will continue to monitor.

We condemn violent provocations and insist on sanctions.

At the same time, we are open to confronting these young men and talking about what is troubling them. Differences in thinking or attitudes do not necessarily mean conflict, and if young men feel that our message "A WOMAN WITH A VOICE" threatens something they care deeply about – we are ready to hear them and talk. We invite them to contact us.