The pride parade of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community was held under tight security with police officers being deployed on the main waterfront promenade and nearby streets in order to prevent clashes with anti-parade protesters.
During her speech at the Riva promenade lesbian activist Sanja Juras accused the police of having allowed incidents which resulted in the injuring of some people.
State institutions have not done their job properly and today's event in Split has showed that Croatia does not support the right of homosexuality, she said.
Member of the European Parliament, Dutch politician Marije Cornelisse, said that the state must be prepared to protect rights of everybody, including sexual minorities.
Linda Frieman of the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) said that today's event was a step forward towards the protection of the LGBT rights.
The police reported that they had arrested 81 people during the first gay pride parade in the biggest Croatian Adriatic city.
According to police estimates, there were some 10,000 anti-parade protesters filling the nearby streets. Several hundred police officers guarded the parade, with some of them in full riot gear.
Nearby streets were cordoned off.
Also, four reporters were injured in protests against the parade, with one of them being driven by ambulance to the hospital and three being lightly injured.
Earlier in the day the police did not specify the seriousness of any injuries, but eye-witnesses said that a TV cameraman was taken to hospital after a brick hit his head.
After the end of the parade, the police said that two persons asked for treatment in hospital.
Some of the anti-parade protesters were hurling tear-gas, firecrackers and bottles at the participants in the parade.