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Several
thousand people have marched through Prague in the Czech capital's first
"gay pride" festival.
 |
| Abuse and moist conditions did not dampen the party atmosphere |
Revellers
in fancy dress waved rainbow flags and blew whistles as they marched through
the city centre.
Some 300
police guarded the colourful event, which had stoked controversy and
counter-marches.
Earlier
this week, a top aide to conservative President Vaclav Klaus, Deputy Chancellor
Petr Hajek, labelled gay people as deviants.
Mr Hajek
criticised Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda for supporting "deviant fellow
citizens."
His
comments provoked a joint statement in support of the five-day gay pride
festival from the ambassadors of 13 Western nations, including the UK and US.
But their
letter drew an angry response from Czech President Vaclav Klaus, who refused to
distance himself from Mr Hajek. The deputy chancellor had previously drawn
criticism for rejecting Darwinism and calling the dead al-Qaeda leader Osama
bin Laden a "media fiction".
Vltava
converts
As
Saturday's march went ahead in light drizzle, riot police held back dozens of
far-right extremists who had gathered to shout abusive slogans.
The Czech
Republic's Conservative Christian Democrats also held a peaceful counter-parade
in support of traditional family values.
But the
abuse and moist conditions did not dampen the party atmosphere, as marchers
danced to music played from loudspeakers mounted on vans.
The march
was to culminate in a series of concerts on an island in the Vltava river, as
part of a five-day festival comprising some 80 events - concerts, films,
seminars, exhibitions and parties - in 30 venues around the capital.
A gay pride
march in the Czech Republic's second city Brno in 2008 ended in clashes.
Related Articles:
About the Challenges of Being a Gay Man – Oct 23, 2010 (Saint Germain channelled by Alexandra Mahlimay and Dan Bennack) - “You see, your Soul and Creator are not concerned with any perspective you have that contradicts the reality of your Divinity – whether this be your gender, your sexual preference, your nationality – or your race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, or anything else.”
"The Akashic System" – Jul 17, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Religion, God, Benevolent Design, DNA, Akashic Circle, (Old) Souls, Gaia, Indigenous People, Talents, Reincarnation, Genders, Gender Switches, In “between” Gender Change, Gender Confusion, Shift of Human Consciousness, Global Unity,..... etc.) New !
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