Appeal to Mayors of European cities “On freedom of assembly and expression for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people”

Here you will find text of ILGA-Europe's appeal sent to European mayors. We will also publish here the names of the mayors who signed the appeal.

Appeal to Mayors of European cities

“On f reedom of assembly and expression for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people”

We, the undersigned, are gravely concerned by the violations of the rights to freedom of assembly and expression for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in some European countries.

During the last few years peaceful demonstrations and prides events by LGBT people and their supporters were banned by city authorities and in some cases also upheld by the courts in Latvia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, and Russia.

Participants of these events faced violence, gross humiliation and abuse in Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Russia, and Serbia.

Leading politicians have used inflammatory language which contributed to discrimination and violence against LGBT people and their supporters in Latvia, Poland, Romania and Russia.

The police have failed to provide adequate protection in Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Russia, and Serbia.

We believe that these worrying instances of discrimination and violence against LGBT people, increased activities by radical and fundamentalist organisations advocating hatred and intolerance, and inaction by various states’ authorities present a serious threat to the core European values of democracy, pluralism and respect.

We appeal to Mayors of all European cities to ensure that one of the fundamental democratic principles - freedom of assembly and expression, guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights and virtually all national constitutions in Europe, is applied without any prejudice and discrimination to LGBT people and their supporters.

On 28 March 2007, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, one of the main European forums for the representatives of local and regional authorities, adopted a “Resolution on freedom of assembly and expression for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgendered persons”. The resolution states that:

· It is the paramount duty of local authorities not only to positively protect the rights to freedom of assembly and expression in a practical and effective manner, but also to refrain from speech likely to legitimise discrimination or hatred based on intolerance;

· The local authorities have an obligation to enable lawful assemblies to proceed peacefully through the provision of, among other, adequate measures to prevent attacks by violent opponents. A theoretical risk of disorder, or the mere presence of opposition, is insufficient to justify restrictions on public events;

· The rights of LGBT people to freedom of expression and assembly are essential not only for their own personal development, dignity and fulfilment as citizens, but also for the promotion and protection of equality and democracy and for the progress of society as a cohesive whole;

· The Council of Europe’s Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR) proclaims, in Articles 10 and 11, that every person has the right to enjoy freedom of expression, assembly and association without interference by public authorities, and free from discrimination (Article 14).

The Resolution also draws up a number of practical recommendations to assist local authorities in ensuring LGBT people enjoy their full rights to freedom of assembly and expression.

We support the principles and recommendations identified by the Resolution and call upon all Mayors of European cities to respect and implement them. We believe city Mayors can and should play a leading role in promoting respect and human rights for all residents and guests of European cities.

List of signatories:


"Equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Europe"