GAY PRIDE MARCH CALM DESPITE OPPOSITION

UNCLAS RIGA 000277

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PGOV SOCI LG
SUBJECT: GAY PRIDE MARCH CALM DESPITE OPPOSITION


1. Summary: The May 16 Baltic Pride parade in Riga drew about 300
participants and a far larger crowd of protestors, but it avoided
the problems of violence and overzealous security seen in previous
years. The event took place despite a late move by some members of
the Riga City Council to revoke the event's permit. The effort was
seen by many as overtly political, and was overruled by the courts.
The political maneuvering before the event and the anti-gay
demonstrators outnumbering Pride participants illustrate the
challenges still facing the LGBT community in Latvia. This was the
first year that the event was billed as being Baltic-wide. Next
year, it is scheduled to take place in Vilnius, and won't return to
Riga until 2012. End summary.


2. Latvian gay rights group Mozaika held a series of events to mark
"Friendship Days," the most contentious of which was the annual
Pride Parade. Three years ago, the march was banned and the event
was marked by violent clashes between anti-gay protestors, Pride
participants, and police. Last year the event was held in a less
visible location, and under security so tight that Mozaika
complained many legitimate participants were turned away.


3. This year, the City of Riga granted Mozaika permission on May 8
to return to a more visible location, marching in the streets
adjacent to a central city park. However, just days before the
march, 34 of the 60 members of the Riga City Council signed a letter
declaring that the permit had been issued inappropriately and that
the Pride March was a security risk. This group succeeded in
forcing withdrawal of Mozaika's permit on Thursday, May 14. The
next day, Mozaika claimed in court that there was no legal basis to
revoke the permit, especially so soon before the event. The court
ruled in Mozaika's favor, and the permit was reinstated. Mozaika
leader Linda Freimane described the City Council's efforts as
blatant political posturing before the June municipal elections, but
credited the city manager as behaving professionally despite the
political pressure.


4. The event attracted a small crowd that was in good spirits,
though the parade was a subdued stroll compared to the rambunctious
affairs surrounding pride parades in many countries. An estimated
300 participants carried flags and signs along two city blocks
forming the perimeter of a city park. Many Latvian homosexuals fear
the potential repercussions of being seen at the Pride March and
choose not to attend. Many of the participants were visitors from
abroad. Lithuania and Estonia were represented, but far larger
groups came from the UK and Nordic states. Unlike last year,
Mozaika did not report any problems with security for participants
entering the park.


5. On the other side of metal barricades and riot police, about 500
anti-gay demonstrators gathered to jeer at the parade. They carried
signs that ranged from bible verses to slogans linking gays to AIDS,
Latvian population decline, and pedophilia. In contrast to prior
years, there were no physical attacks and the protestors did not
throw anything at the Pride participants.


6. Riga will not face this situation again next year: Baltic Pride
events will begin to rotate locations, going to Vilnius in 2010 and
Tallinn in 2011 before returning to Riga. This strategy may spread
the message further, but risks losing the momentum that the Pride
events have built here - or, at least, risks losing the chance for
Latvians to grow bored of the annual fight and see the Pride March
as commonplace.


5. Comment: This year's event was a minor success. The courts
protected Mozaika's freedom of assembly and speech, and the event,
while emotional, never seemed at risk the kind of confrontations
seen in the past. However, for the politicians facing an election
in a few weeks, pushing to ban the event is probably a vote-winner
as intolerance of homosexuality still runs deep in Latvia.

WASER