Thousands of Pride Parade participants took them to the streets of Vienna, Warsaw, Rome and Athens on Saturday, waving rainbow flags and holding signs of protest while demanding political and social equality for the respective countries’ LGBTQ+ communities.
In Warsaw, “Love is the answer”
The Pride Parade in Warsaw passed through the city centre and through the old town. The “Equality Parade” began on Saturday afternoon and featured thousands of demonstrators.
Under the slogan “Love is the answer,” the event organizers expressed hope that others could help them express their LGBTQ+ identity openly and without fear.
“We don’t want to talk about such issues somewhere underground. We don’t want to hide in the basement. We’ll come to the surface to talk about it,” said Rafau Dembe, president of the Equality Volunteer Foundation, at a press conference before March.
During the meeting, organizers said demonstrations in Warsaw were the largest variety in the country.
Among the parade’s most notable attendees was Warsaw Mayor Rafau Truzaskowski. He recently found himself on the losing side of the presidential election.
Four days ago, Kotula introduced a bill to Congress to introduce a civic partnership that includes same-sex couples.
Speaking to the crowd at the start of the parade, Trzaskowski said, “Remember, for many years I have said I am building Warsaw. I remember that these values are not only highly valued, but also being a tolerant city.”
Pride March in Rome smokes during the hot season
With courage in the hot, hot 35-degree weather, thousands of people took part in the Italian capital Pride March, via the city of Rome from Piazza Della Republica via Cavour. Three motorcyclists with ro-sound engines began the parade. Right behind them was the parade leader, carrying a large banner with the words “outlaws.” The banner protests what organizers view as a lack of support for LGBTQ+ rights by conservative incumbent governments.
Participants in the demonstration were spokesman for the Capitolin Parade at Mario Colamarino and Roberto Guartieri, Mayor of Rome.
”We are here for the rights of all, to have a more inclusive and equal Italy that is better than what we have now. “Outlaws” are what we are in this country today, we have to fight, we have to be a lot,” Coramarino said.
The event in Rome was held not only to celebrate LGBTQ+ pride, but also to protest the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Many Palestinian flags and banners were waved alongside the rainbow flag as people chanted slogans for free love and equality. In addition to house and pop music, the Italian partisan anthem “Bellachao” was also sung by the protesters.
A float was also unfolding, a satirical portrayal of Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban, who rejected the government’s request to march pride in Budapest last week.
“More than ever, today, there is a fundamentalist regime in the world that attacks civil rights and individual liberties in dictatorship, illegal democracy, Hungary and Russia and Trump’s US.
Athens protesters will hear
2025 marks the 20th anniversary of the first Athenian Pride held, and this year’s slogan is “We Matter.” This has a double meaning in Greek – this phrase can mean “we are a problem”, but it also means stocking something. The latter is related to remembering everything that has happened since June 2005 when the first Athens Pride Parade was held.
This includes joys such as pride and liberation of the first year, losses from hatred and homophobic attacks, victory such as same-sex civil union and marriage, as well as disappointment such as surviving stigma, and battle for visibility and rights.
“Now, more than ever, global contexts show that acquisitions (laws) cannot be taken for granted. Instead, our rights and our existence are challenged every day. The normalization of hate speech in political and media discourse is a threat to all of us. Motivation,” the organizers say on their website.
“For all this, our presence in public spaces will continue to be our undeniable right, historical obligations and acts of resistance to the public discourse of abuse that seeks to erase us. The struggle for equality is continuing and unabated.
Pridemance is celebrated in Athens at a variety of cultural events, screenings, performances, parties, shows, panel discussions, workshops and seminars. This points to much of the current 20-year history of pride in the Greek capital, with diversity, equity and inclusive initiatives also taking the central stage.
