The Vigilare assocation was on Friday found guilty pending appeal of discrimination, incitement to discrimination and harassment of LGBTIQ persons and their families, said the association called Dugine Obitelji (Rainbow Families) which had sued Vigilare.

According to the verdict, delivered by the Zagreb County Court, Vigilare has to remove all discriminatory and disturbing content from their website within eight days, and they are prohibited from further posting and using content that in any way discriminates against, incites discrimination and harasses LGBTIQ persons, their families and children.

The Rainbow Families had filed a lawsuit against Vigilare for launching a petition called “Stop state television’s homo-propaganda. Let’s stop fake rainbows, let’s protect children and the family!”

The petition was published on the association’s website, calling on citizens to stop the screening of a documentary film for children called “Jana’s Rainbow Family”, which was broadcast last year by Croatian Radio and Television (HRT).

According to the ruling, Vigilare has to publish the verdict at its own expense in the Jutarnji and Vecernji List dailies and reimburse the Rainbow Families association for litigation expenses.

The County Court also said that, through its action, the Vigilare association had directly violated the constitutionally guaranteed right of every person to respect and legal protection of their private and family life, and that the texts on the petition’s website could not be considered free expression of thought and speech as they were not in accordance with the constitutionally guaranteed freedoms — primarily the protection of personal and family life.