Saturday’s parade through the streets of the Czech capital was by far the biggest ever event of its kind. Credit: Jsme fer via Facebook.
Prague, Aug 14 (CTK) – About 60,000 people joined the Prague Pride parade yesterday, crossing the city centre and reaching Letna Plain where the programme continued until the night, Prague police spokesman Jan Rybansky told CTK.
Saturday’s events were the culmination of the week-long Prague Pride festival of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans- and queer people (LGBT+). Participants in the parade were expressing their tolerance and support for sexual minorities and their right to self-determination, and the attendance for the parade was by far the largest ever seen in the Czech Republic.
The police raised their original estimate of 30,000 participants after more and more thousands of people joined the parade on its way through the packed streets. Accompanied by music, dance, cheers and ovations, the parade attracted many spectators from among passers-by and met with no significant protests on their part.
No incidents occurred in connection with the parade. The police registered no breach of the public peace or other problems, said Rybansky.
The participants, led by Prague Mayor Zdenek Hrib (Pirates) and his wife at the front of the parade, carried banners and rainbow flags of all possible sizes, from face-painted symbols to large flags waved aloft.
Formerly a symbol of pacifism, the rainbow flag has been used since the 1970s as a universal symbol of the gay and lesbian community. In the following decades it became a generally accepted symbol of the LGBT movement.
Many participants in the Prague Pride parade wore flower chains on their neck and other rainbow decorations such as paper flowers and balloons, and some wore costumes.
No vehicles participated in the parade yesterday; the organisers cited sustainability as the reason for this decision.
In the Na Prikope street, the parade encountered several men quoting from the Bible and referring to the rainbow parade as a sin. They got no reaction from the continuing parade.
The annual parade was taking place for the first time after a two-year pause due to the coronavirus pandemic.
