From the Philippines to Chile, via Poland, France, Spain, the United States, Mexico, Panama, Colombia and Peru, many Pride marches took place this weekend. But the celebrations were tarnished in several cities around the world.
Target of a shooting near a gay bar on the night of Friday to Saturday, killing two men and injuring 21 people, Oslo was deprived of the Pride march, on the recommendation of the police.
Despite the cancellation of the festivities, thousands of people gathered for a spontaneous parade on Saturday. A mourning ceremony was also held on Sunday in the capital’s cathedral. Often in tears, countless anonymous people laid bouquets of flowers and rainbow flags around the perimeter cordoned off by the police.
“Bullets cannot kill love,” said Norwegian Protestant Church leader Olav Fykse Tveit. “We see that we can learn, sometimes reluctantly, that the diversity between us is a gift, a richness, and that many homosexuals are capable of cultivating a love that the rest of us are incapable of,” he added.
” Shooting […] ended the Pride march, but it did not end the fight and efforts against discrimination, prejudice and hatred,” noted Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
Concerns for LGBTQ+ rights in the United States
Large crowds were expected in several major US cities on Sunday. But the threat of a rollback of LGBT+ rights has quieted the party.
“There are so many anti-LGBTQ+ attacks going on all over the country, and a lot of them are really about erasing our existence and making us invisible,” said Michael Adams, who heads the organization. LGBTQ+ seniors advocacy organization, SAGE.
Roe’s invalidation c. Wade also has many people wondering if same-sex marriage could be the next target.
The Supreme Court said it was only about abortion, but Justice Clarence Thomas said other cases should be reviewed, including one that legalized same-sex marriage.
It’s a reminder of a reality: In addition to celebration, there’s always a need for activism, said Joe Negrelli, 70, a longtime New York Pride attendee. It “makes me want to put more energy into walking,” he added.
Arrests in Turkey
As every year now, the Pride March had been banned by the governor of Istanbul. Despite this, hundreds of protesters waving rainbow flags gathered in the streets of the city.
But before the rally even started, riot police raided cafes and streets in the Cihangir neighborhood around the iconic Taksim Square, arresting people there, Agence France found. -Hurry.
The police arrested a total of more than 200 people, activists and journalists, including an AFP photographer.
Chanting “The future is queer! », « You will never be alone! or “We’re here, we’re queer, we’re not going anywhere else!” “, the demonstrators then marched for a little over an hour in the steep streets of the Cihangir district, supported by local residents posted at the windows.
Homosexuality is not banned in Turkey, but the ruling Islamo-conservative party and the president’s government are particularly hostile to it.
Ukrainian and Polish LGBT+ people parade together
A symbol of the diplomatic friendship that has united them since the war, Ukrainians marched on Saturday alongside tens of thousands of Poles in Warsaw.
The Pride march is banned in Kyiv this year, like all events, due to the state of emergency. In the absence of an official parade, around sixty people gathered on Saturday in a small nightclub in the center of the Ukrainian capital.
The last Pride in kyiv, in 2019, took place under heavy police presence, due to counter-demonstrations by far-right and Orthodox activists.