According to the Brussels-based NGO ILGA-Europe, Norway this year ranks the 8th best state in Europe for the LGBTQ community.
Revellers took to the streets of central Oslo this weekend to celebrate the city’s annual pride parade as June’s Pride Month draws to a close.
The two-hour march ended on Saturday at the so-called Pride Park, in the central Sofienbergparken.
Oslo Pride is Norway’s largest celebration of love and diversity and focusses on equal rights and human dignity.
It’s created by around 80 year-round volunteers with around 300 extra getting involved during the nine-day festival.
According to the Brussels-based NGO ILGA-Europe, Norway this year ranks the 8th best state in Europe for the LGBTQ community. The index takes into account the legal, political and social environment for LGBTQ people in each country in Europe.
However during 2022’s festival, a homophobic gunman opened fire in Oslo’s nightlife district, killing two people and wounding 20 others.
Heavy police presence at Pride parade in Greece
Meanwhile, in Greece, around 15,000 people attended the annual EuroPride parade on Saturday, police said, in support of the LGBTQ+ community in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki but police had to come out in large numbers to keep the parade safe.
“This participation from across Europe sends a message,” parade participant Michalis Filippidis told reporters. “It is very, very good. We are all united like a fist and, despite many things happening, we are all here to fight for our rights.”
There was a heavy police presence to prevent demonstrations against the parade. In the end, police said, 15 people were detained for shouting obscenities at parade participants and, in one case, trying to throw eggs at them.
