Sofia Gay Pride parade ends without incident (Roundup)

Jun 26, 2010, 17:49 GMT

Sofia - Some 700 people gathered Saturday for the Sofia Gay Pride parade which passed off peacefully despite nationalists opposed to the march having gathering earlier in the day, local media reported.

Some 300 policemen guarded the rally. Three people were arrested, but no major incidents were reported.

The third gay parade in Sofia, under the slogan 'Love equality, embrace diversity' featured guests from Britain, Germany and Russia. The chairman of the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, a non- government organisation, also joined the procession.

The parade started at the National Palace of Culture in downtown Sofia and ended at the Monument of the Soviet Army with a concert dedicated to the initiative. The parade was led by an open-platform truck with a sound system and dancers.

Earlier Saturday, dozens of Bulgarian nationalists had gathered to protest against the parade under slogan 'No to Moral Decay'.

The banners and posters carried by the nationalists also featured anti-gay proclamations such as 'Bulgaria is a place for normal people - gays should go to jail.'

Ultra-nationalist and conservative organisations in Bulgaria, as well as the Orthodox Church, requested the gay parade to be banned, calling it a 'shameful demonstration of the sin of sodomy.'

Nationalists disrupted the parade in 2008, leading to the arrests of 80 people. Last year, the parade proceeded quickly and under heavy police protection, with some 300 people participating.

The organisation of gay pride parades in the Balkans has proven challenging, as conservatism, deeply rooted conservatism and patriarchal family attitudes have made it difficult for the public to accept sexual diversity.

This year's parade in the Croatian capital Zagreb took place without incident, but organisers in the capital of neighbouring Serbia have tried unsuccessfully for years to hold their own event.

Belgrade's one and only gay pride parade in 2001 ended in a bloody showdown between the police and counter-protesters, with participants being beaten.