LGBTQ Police Organization Drops Out of Paris Pride Parade

A French LGBTQ police group (called FLAG!) has said that it will not take part in the Parisian Pride parade set for June 26, the website TÊTU reports. The event was formerly known as Gay Pride is now known as "Marche des Fiertés LGBT."

"FLAG! Will not participate in the traditional Parisian Pride parade," said Johan Cavirot, the president of the association. The reason is safety, since, Cavirot said, "it will leave from Pantin, in Seine-Saint-Denis, to join République via districts where the police are not always welcome."

He continued: "The route of the march coupled with the terrorist threat and attacks with weapons towards the forces of law and order require that the securing of the procession of FLAG! is much more important than in previous years in order to guarantee the safety of our members."

The Paris Gay Pride march/parade (now called the�LGBT+ Marche des Fiertés)�is one of the world's largest, attracting an estimated half a million people each June - friends, family, and allies included. Prominent politicians have been known, in recent years, to kick it all off at the front of the march. describes the website Paris Unlocked.

Matthieu Gatipon, the spokesperson for Inter-LGBT, which is organizing the Pride parade, had said the choice to start in the no-go suburbs of Paris was to "deconstruct prejudices about the suburbs and highlight the associations of Seine-Saint-Denis that do a lot of work. We have no doubt that the march will be very well received."