The march attracted record numbers last year with over 6500 in attendance, each participant supporting the rights of the local gay community and the core premises of the international gay pride movement.
Other highlights of the festival include the Amnesty International lecture by human rights and gay rights activist Peter Thatchell, and a ‘Pride Talks Back’. All events and further information can be viewed at http://www.belfastpride.com/.
Encouraging maximum turnout for the Belfast pride events, National Organiser of Ógra Shinn Féin, Barry McColgan said,
“The gay community are an integral part of Irish society, and the Belfast pride festival, which continues to grow year on year, has become a hugely positive and productive community event.”
“Ógra Shinn Féin are urging maximum attendance at this year's pride events, to demonstrate solidarity with the gay community, and to stand up for their rights, in the face of discrimination, attacks and the deeply offensive and insulting remarks from Iris Robinson.”
“Stand up for human rights on Saturday 2 August, celebrate diversity, and send a message out loud and clear that bigotry will be overcome, and an Ireland of equals achieved.”
8 comments:
Its about time the twinks in OSF got their gear out and started to show their pride!
It is extremely important for a good turnout this year in the face of Iris' fascistic outbursts.
No paseran and loads of pride.
Shauna
Maith thu Ógra, great issue to be promoting. Solidarity with the gay community at this difficult time is key and essential.
Peter
when were sinn fein at pride before?
To the previous anon poster,
"When were SF at Pride before?"
I know personally from speaking to activists, that there have been quite a few in attendance, and the party have always supported pride events, with practical support given by SF in Derry to the rainbow project and when Alex Maskey was Belfast Mayor he hosted the gay community at a civic reception.
Tom Hartley will no doubt play a key role in this years events and march, and i am certain that SF and Ógra members will get along to as many events as possible in solidarity.
Great to see Ogra encouraging activists to take part in the Pride march and LGBT campaigns! There might have been a few activists at marches before but not a whole lot! Hopefully this activism will be sustained after the march because LGBT issues are little neglected by Ogra!
Hope theres a good turnout!
On another subject i was disgusted at the news today that a community worker ans his son were assaulted in w. belfast. Again we are seeing the anti-social vermin (for want of a better word) terrorising the communities we represent, we need to rally round the victims here and show these scum that our areas will NOT tolerate this kind of behavior!
Why not march on their houses, evict them, name and shame them, encourage their famillies to take action, stand up as a community that is fed up with their destructive deeds.
More action needed to create communities we can be proud of without fear of intimidation or attack!!!!!!
I believe ÓSF has a role here.
Anonymous,
Would you not agree that tackling the root causes of the problem would be a better option rather than evicting people? Evictionshould only ever be used an absolute last resort because it only means you're shifting the problem elsewhere.
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