Thousands march in Prague gay parade
10/10/2011
Submitted by
ILGA-Europe
Original article: http://www.france24.com/en/20110813-thousands-march-prague-gay-parade-0
AFP - Thousands marched in Prague on Saturday for the climax of the Czech capital's first-ever gay pride festival, defying a fine drizzle, a political spat and protests by conservative groups.
With many in fancy dress, blowing whistles and waving flags, they gathered in the city centre in the early afternoon to set off along several main routes to the sound of music from loudspeakers mounted on vans.
Attracting participants from other parts of Europe as well as the Czech Republic, the parade ended two hours later on an island in the Vltava river for a series of concerts and shows.
"According to our initial estimates, five thousand people participated in the parade and 10,000 came out on the streets to witness the event," organiser Czeslaw Walek said.
Some 300 police were on duty to prevent the sort of clashes that marred a gay march in Brno, the country's second city, in 2008, when right-wing extremists pelted marchers with eggs and fireworks.
The five-day festival, which began Wednesday, sparked controversy long before it started as a top aide to conservative President Vaclav Klaus labelled gays "deviant".
Petr Hajek, Klaus's deputy chancellor famous for rejecting Darwinism and for calling Osama bin Laden "media fiction," slammed Prague mayor Bohuslav Svoboda for granting support to the festival of "deviant fellow citizens."
Klaus then backed Hajek, saying the parade was a manifestation of "homosexualism," not homosexuality, and that he perceived "deviant" as a "neutral word in terms of value."
This prompted a joint statement from the ambassadors of Austria, Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States, supporting the festival.
Klaus termed the statement an "unprecedented step", while Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg called the spat "unfortunate."
"It is counter-productive and unnecessary to express support for rights which no one in the Czech Republic denies," he said.
Gay Czech former tennis star Martina Navratilova criticised Klaus in a message to the parade Saturday for his "extremely homophobic and unenlightened remarks."
"Unfortunately it seems President Klaus just doesn't get it," she said, adding, "Come on Mr. President, join the parade and see what we are all about."
Walek told AFP, "We are quite surprised by this politicising ... We just wanted to have a carnival parade."
"I am ashamed of my president," read a placard held up by a parade participant.
Young Christian Democrats, an anti-abortion movement and the far-right DSSS party held counter-demonstrations in support of what they said were traditional values.
"God created man and woman so that humanity will not disappear. Neither two men nor two women can create a new life, it is against the natural order of things," said Iva Bergerova, a forty-something protester from Vamberk in the north.
A group of about 40 protesters hurled insults at gay pride participants mid-way through the parade, but the marchers simply smiled and waved in response.
Police said they had arrested two protesters for throwing smoke bombs at the parade.
The festival offered about 80 events at over 30 locations in and near Prague, including concerts, films, seminars, exhibitions and parties.
AFP - Thousands marched in Prague on Saturday for the climax of the Czech capital's first-ever gay pride festival, defying a fine drizzle, a political spat and protests by conservative groups.
With many in fancy dress, blowing whistles and waving flags, they gathered in the city centre in the early afternoon to set off along several main routes to the sound of music from loudspeakers mounted on vans.
Attracting participants from other parts of Europe as well as the Czech Republic, the parade ended two hours later on an island in the Vltava river for a series of concerts and shows.
"According to our initial estimates, five thousand people participated in the parade and 10,000 came out on the streets to witness the event," organiser Czeslaw Walek said.
Some 300 police were on duty to prevent the sort of clashes that marred a gay march in Brno, the country's second city, in 2008, when right-wing extremists pelted marchers with eggs and fireworks.
The five-day festival, which began Wednesday, sparked controversy long before it started as a top aide to conservative President Vaclav Klaus labelled gays "deviant".
Petr Hajek, Klaus's deputy chancellor famous for rejecting Darwinism and for calling Osama bin Laden "media fiction," slammed Prague mayor Bohuslav Svoboda for granting support to the festival of "deviant fellow citizens."
Klaus then backed Hajek, saying the parade was a manifestation of "homosexualism," not homosexuality, and that he perceived "deviant" as a "neutral word in terms of value."
This prompted a joint statement from the ambassadors of Austria, Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States, supporting the festival.
Klaus termed the statement an "unprecedented step", while Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg called the spat "unfortunate."
"It is counter-productive and unnecessary to express support for rights which no one in the Czech Republic denies," he said.
Gay Czech former tennis star Martina Navratilova criticised Klaus in a message to the parade Saturday for his "extremely homophobic and unenlightened remarks."
"Unfortunately it seems President Klaus just doesn't get it," she said, adding, "Come on Mr. President, join the parade and see what we are all about."
Walek told AFP, "We are quite surprised by this politicising ... We just wanted to have a carnival parade."
"I am ashamed of my president," read a placard held up by a parade participant.
Young Christian Democrats, an anti-abortion movement and the far-right DSSS party held counter-demonstrations in support of what they said were traditional values.
"God created man and woman so that humanity will not disappear. Neither two men nor two women can create a new life, it is against the natural order of things," said Iva Bergerova, a forty-something protester from Vamberk in the north.
A group of about 40 protesters hurled insults at gay pride participants mid-way through the parade, but the marchers simply smiled and waved in response.
Police said they had arrested two protesters for throwing smoke bombs at the parade.
The festival offered about 80 events at over 30 locations in and near Prague, including concerts, films, seminars, exhibitions and parties.
