Police knock priest to the ground during protest in Moldova (VIDEOS)

Violent scenes have been caught on camera during an anti-LGBTQ rally in the post-Soviet country’s capital

Police officers have used force against the participants of an anti-LGBTQ rally in Moldova’s capital Chisinau, with videos from the scene capturing an Orthodox priest being knocked to the ground, while a man with a child was roughed up by officers and detained.

Tensions escalated after a group of LGBTQ activists staged an unsanctioned march in the center of the city, Sputink Moldova reported on Sunday.

Dozens of people with rainbow flags blocked traffic and paraded through the streets. Although the police had been deployed to the scene in large numbers, they made no effort to stop the march, according to the agency.

They eventually crossed paths with a counter-protest by Orthodox Christians carrying icons and crosses. Violence erupted when the anti-LGBTQ demonstrators tried breaching the police cordons separating them from the other group.