Ivory Coast: Mob Attacks Gay Rights Group Office An angry mob "ransacked" the headquarters of Ivory Coast's most prominent gay rights organization, an official said Monday, underscoring the dangers facing such groups in Africa even in the few countries where homosexual acts are not crimes. The attack occurred after multiple days of anti-gay protests in Ivory Coast, a country generally viewed as moderate and sometimes considered a safe haven for homosexuals fleeing persecution elsewhere. On Saturday afternoon, nearly 200 people stormed the offices of Alternative Cote d'Ivoire in Abidjan, the commercial capital, flinging stones to shatter windows and stealing computers, said Claver Toure, the group's executive director. Others heaved sacks of garbage over the property's exterior walls and strew trash and broken glass at the entrance. Signs hung on walls demanded "Stop the homos!" and "Pedes get out!" The word "pede" is short for pedophile and is commonly used in West Africa to insult gay men. "Everything they could take was taken, and the rest was broken," Toure said, adding that a private security guard was hospitalized with wounds to his face. U.S. Ambassador Terence P. McCulley said he was "shocked and saddened" by the attack, in a statement posted Monday to the embassy's Facebook page. "Even if one is not in agreement with the point of view of an organization or its people, we have an obligation in a democracy to support the right of people to organize and express themselves," he said. I hope that Ivorians will understand that these attacks are not consonant with democratic values. Toure criticized what he described as a deliberately slow response by security forces, saying police did not arrive until the French ambassador contacted government officials. Ultimately, he said, about 10 officers came with a half dozen U.N. peacekeepers. "When we call, the police need to come right away and protect us because we are Ivorians," Toure said. Interior Minister spokesman Bazoumana Coulibaly said the government was not prepared to comment because it was still collecting information. In a statement Friday, the Ireland-based human rights organization Front Line Defenders detailed what it described as "coordinated" attacks against Toure's group last week. It had warned that "rumors are circulating that a more virulent attack is envisioned" for Saturday. On Jan. 20, neighbors gathered outside Toure's home to chant anti-gay slogans and issue death threats against those inside, Front Line Defenders said. Two days later, a mob targeted Alternative's headquarters, placing signs demanding that the organization leave. It was not clear what prompted the attack against Alternative, located in an upscale neighborhood. Local media reports quoted residents last week expressing fear that the presence of a gay rights organization would jeopardize their children's safety - highlighting the widespread belief throughout Africa that gay people target children for recruitment. Toure said his landlord confronted him on Jan. 5 after neighbors complained that more than 20 people were staying in his home and that "condoms could be found throughout the neighborhood each morning" - accusations Toure denied.