Odessa hosted its first Pride march since the war began
This was reported by Suspilne Odesa.
Participants spoke out in favour of equality and civil partnerships
The event took place against the backdrop of discussions surrounding Bill No. 15150 and was accompanied by other public events in the city centre. According to Anna Leonova, executive director of the NGO “Gay Alliance Ukraine”, this is the first Pride march in Odesa since the start of the full-scale war.
“In fact, protests are taking place in Odesa every weekend now. Today, two events coincided — both concerning civil liberties and society’s right to defend itself,” she said.
An open stage was also set up in the square for participants to speak. Among the demands of the protest were the adoption of legislation to protect against hate crimes and the regulation of civil partnerships.
Alongside the march, a counter-protest took place
Half an hour before the march began, people gathered in Birzhovaya Square to oppose the event. Some of the participants identified themselves as “Unknown Patriots” and stated that they supported “traditional values”. One of the group’s representatives stated that they were opposed to the Pride march, but did not specify whether any actions were planned during the event. Representatives of the “For Traditional Values” movement also joined the protest.
Police maintained order in the centre of Odesa
The organisers of the anti-Pride rally stated that their event was peaceful and had been agreed with the police. According to the participants, they were demonstrating in support of the “traditional Ukrainian family”. During the events in the centre of Odesa, order was maintained by officers of the National Police.
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