Pride in London: Protesters target government and polluters -TGN

Protest was the focus of Pride in London this year, with both activists and famous faces taking action on behalf of various issues.

On Saturday (July 1), more than a million people flocked to the capital to celebrate London’s Pride – which has been taking place in the city since 1972 – by watching the parade, performances and the atmosphere.

This year, several activist groups used the annual Pride event as a means of raising awareness for various causes, several of which used disruptive tactics to grab the attention of Pride attendees.

At around 1:30 p.m., Just Stop Oil protesters stopped the parade by laying down in front of the floats and spraying black paint on the road.

The environmental activism group demonstrated against Pride in London sponsorship deals, including major US airline United.

Prior to Saturday, the group threatened to take action against the organizers of the annual Pride event if they failed to comply with their demands, such as providing details of their sponsorship deals and issuing a statement urging the termination of new gas and oil contracts.

Because Pride in London failed to meet these demands, activists announced action on Friday (June 30) and then blocked the parade route on Pride day.

The parade resumed around 1:47 p.m. after police arrested and removed seven individuals from the parade.

PinkNews has contacted the Metropolitan Police for the latest on the arrests.

Following this, the parade was halted for a second time as hundreds of protesters, including Ugandan LGBT+ refugees, staged a sit-down protest outside the Ugandan High Commission in Trafalgar Square to protest the country’s draconian anti-homosexuality law.

In May, the Ugandan parliament passed an anti-gay law that criminalizes advocating for LGBTQ+ rights and knowledge of LGBTQ+ people, and allows for the death penalty for ‘aggravated homosexuality’.

This applies to certain same-sex acts, such as sexual relations with people with HIV or disabilities, but also to serious crimes such as rape and child sexual abuse.

Organized by the Peter Tatchell Foundation, along with the African Equality Foundation and Out and Proud African LGBTI, the protesters urged the government and the international community to impose travel bans and asset freezes on Ugandan MPs who voted in favor of the law.

Sitting in Trafalgar Square, the protesters chanted slogans and held signs including ‘Sanction Uganda for anti-LGBT+ laws’ and ‘Uganda! Scrap homophobic laws!’.

“We took nonviolent direct action outside Uganda House to stand in solidarity with Uganda’s heroic LGBT+ campaigners and to express our strong opposition to the new Ugandan legislation,” said campaigner Peter Tatchell.

“It is one of the most sweeping and draconian homophobic laws in the world. Almost every aspect of LGBT+ existence is banned, including LGBT+ sex, advocacy and organization.

“The law violates the Commonwealth Charter. It also violates Article 21 of the Ugandan constitution, which guarantees equal treatment and prohibits discrimination.”

Gay Ugandan Abbey Kiwanuka, of Out and Proud African LGBTI, described Uganda as “deteriorating”.

“As LGBTI Ugandans, we are not even asking for same-sex marriage; we advocate for LGBTI people to be left free to love who they want without fear of harm,” said Kiwanuka.

“Politicians in Uganda are scapegoating LGBTIs and using homosexuality as a pretext to dissuade people from questioning their failed policies.

“It is high time Ugandans wake up and realize that homosexuality is not the cause of people’s suffering. The problem is the rotten, corrupt system.”

Lesbians and Gays Support the Migrants, inspired by the 1980s group Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners, called out Pride in London on social media for including certain groups in the parade.

The campaign group targeted the Metropolitan Police’s LGBTQ+ network, the LGBTQ+ parliamentary network ParliOUT and the event’s main sponsor, United.

“Pride is a protest. Pride is a chance to be camp and joyful. Pride is not a license for corrupt organizations!” the group wrote in a tweet.

During the parade itself, the Heart stopper cast also made their feelings known, but towards the anti-LGBTQ+ religious protesters who turned out to be demonstrating against Pride.

While traveling along the parade route in their own float, the young cast passed a small group of bigots battling Pride in London.

The stars, including Joe Locke, Kit Conner and Yasmin Finney, chased the protesters away and sarcastically blew kisses at them.

Before that, the cast spread all the queer joy and could be seen getting into the Pride spirit by dancing to Beyonce, interacting with fans, and taking adorable photos with each other.