Annual Pride parade marches through central Warsaw
The Equality Parade, an annual event with more than two decades of history, was held in Warsaw on Saturday, with postulates including better legal protection against hate speech, expanding gay rights and legalising gay marriages.
The parade was attended by Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, who has been supporting the event for years. Several other government officials also took part, including Digitisation Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski.
"We want to march through the streets of Warsaw enjoying ourselves and having fun, but at the same time reminding people that we're still waiting for our rights and equality," said Rafal Dembe, the chief organiser of the event.
"We still don't have the rights that we are owed," said Emilia Bartkowska-Mlynek, one of the organisers. "We still have to demand to be treated as citizens with full rights. We're waiting for Poland to meet the requirements and expectations."
The former Law and Justice (PiS) government was often criticised by the LGBTQ+ community, who complained that they were being targeted and discriminated against by the socially-conservative ruling party and that the government only approved traditional Catholic values in the nation.
Opening the parade, Trzaskowski said that "this day shows that Warsaw is a smiling, tolerant and European city."
"I hope that all those postulates which have voicing for many years will be implemented," he added.
Trzaskowski's party, the ruling centrist Civic Coalition (KO), supports some of the more liberal postulates, including the legalisation of civil partnerships and the right to abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy, and is backed by a second coalition member, the Left, who want to go even further in expanding minority and women's rights. But both KO and the Left face likely opposition from their more conservative coalition partner, Poland 2050, whose voters often hold conservative views.
The first Equality Parade took place in 2001, with just a handful of participants. (PAP)
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