Tens of thousands of people took part in Saturday’s Prague Pride parade, staged at the end of the week-long LGBT community festival celebrating sexual minorities and promoting equal rights for all. The parade departed from Wenceslas Square in the centre of Prague just after midday, and ended at Letna, where an entertainment and cultural program continued until around 10pm.
According to the organisers, some 60,000 people took part in the parade, similar to last year. Police did not give an exact figure, but estimated the turnout at tens of thousands.
Due to information about a planned terrorist attack on a recent Pride event in Bratislava, the parade was supervised by more police officers than usual, but no major problems or incidents were reported.
During the parade, police officers observed three groups of opponents of the event verbally attacking the participants. “We separated the two sides. Our presence was enough, we did not have to intervene,” Prague police spokesman Jan Danek told CTK at around 3pm.
The participants, many wearing brightly coloured clothing, rainbow flags and accessories, included Czechs and foreigners, politicians, representatives of companies and organisations, ambassadors, celebrities, and families with children. They also carried banners promoting the rights of sexual minorities and demanding equal marriage rights for all.
Some participants told CTK they had come to Prague Pride because of the relaxed atmosphere of the event, but also wished to show their support for the LGBT+ community.
At the head of the rainbow parade were Government Human Rights Commissioner Klara Laurencikova Simackova, Chamber of Deputies Deputy Speaker Olga Richterova (Pirates), and German Ambassador to Prague Andreas Kunne, who shared the photo on social media.
According to a CTK reporter, the march was also attended by many foreigners and several pro-Palestinian LGBT+ activists carrying Palestinian flags and banners reading “No Pride In Genocide”.
Before the start of the rainbow parade, DJ Jan Witek played in the lower part of Wenceslas Square, while participants prepared banners and costumes.
The front of the parade began to move at noon, this year again without cars with internal combustion engines. The route led from Wenceslas Square to Old Town Square, then along Parizska, over the Cech bridge, and up the stairs to Letna.
Along the route, there were several music stages on balconies and high platforms.
At Letna, the Pride Park offered a programme on six different stages, as well as various attractions, a family zone, and a fair of non-profit organisations. There were also stands with refreshments and souvenirs, and services offering HIV tests and examinations of skin moles.
Some participants listened to music and danced, while others preferred to relax or picnic under the trees in the park in the pleasant sunny weather.
The theme of this year’s 14th annual Prague Pride focused on the family life of LGBT+ people. “The essence (of the parade) is to show that LGBT+ people are still here with us and are waiting for human rights to be equalised,” festival director Kamila Frohlichova told CT.
The Prague Pride parade was held for the first time in August 2011. Back then, the event sparked shrill protests from conservatives, which have gradually faded away in the years since.
