On Saturday, 8 August, as hundreds of thousands of people gather in Amsterdam for the WorldPride March, LGBTQ+ organisations across Europe will join a coordinated action calling on the European Commission to take stronger action to protect Pride and the fundamental freedoms it represents.
The action comes just two weeks after the violent attack at Christopher Street Day in Berlin, which left one person dead and several others injured. The tragedy has reinforced concerns over the increasingly hostile environment facing Pride organisers and participants across Europe.
As part of the Protect Pride. Protect Democracy. campaign, led by ILGA-Europe and the European Pride Organisers Association (EPOA), organisations and individuals are calling on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to take decisive action to safeguard the rights to peaceful assembly, expression and association.
Across Europe, Pride events are increasingly targeted through violence, funding cuts, political attacks and attempts to restrict or ban public gatherings. Despite these growing pressures, communities continue to organise and march.
On Saturday, organisations from across Europe will share campaign messages encouraging people to sign the open letter to President von der Leyen, demonstrating broad public support for protecting Pride and the democratic freedoms it represents.
"The attack in Berlin is a devastating reminder that Pride cannot be taken for granted," said Chaber, Executive Director of ILGA-Europe. "When people cannot gather safely and freely, fundamental freedoms are at risk. We are calling on the European Commission to match its words with concrete action to protect those freedoms across Europe."
Patrick Orth, President of the European Pride Organisers Association (EPOA), added: "Pride organisers continue to face increasing pressure, from security threats to political hostility and funding cuts. Yet communities keep showing up. This coordinated action demonstrates that Pride movements across Europe stand together and expect European institutions to do the same."
Individuals can add their names to the open letter here.
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