May 16, 2009
Latvia's Riga city council bans gay parade
David Foucher READ TIME: 1 MIN.
RIGA, Latvia, May 15 -- Authorities in the Latvian capital of Riga say security concerns have caused them to reverse a decision to allow a gay parade this Saturday.
Riga's picket and parade commission decided to ban the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender march which was expected to draw hundreds from seveal Baltic nations, the Baltic Times newspaper reported Friday.
Andris Grinbergs, director of the Riga city council, said the gay parade is at odds with moral and legal norms and along with a majority of the council agreed it would be a public security threat, the daily said.
Kaspars Zalitis, of the Latvian Amnesty International group, said the Riga council's decision to ban the parade was illegal and based on hatred.
Zalitis said Riga's police told him they were capable of protecting the parade, which organizers estimated would attract about 700 people.
Gay and lesbian organizations from Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania took part in the parade's organization.
David Foucher is the CEO of the EDGE Media Network and Pride Labs LLC, is a member of the National Lesbian & Gay Journalist Association, and is accredited with the Online Society of Film Critics. David lives with his daughter in Dedham MA.
