Thousands rallied for US Capital Pride despite protest disruptions
People participate in the Capital Gay Pride Parade in Washington DC. June 10, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / PAUL J. RICHARDS (Photo credit should read PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images)
Thousands of people have rallied in Washington DC for the Capital Pride despite being blocked by protesters.
The parade was rerouted after protesters with No Justice No pride movement linked arms to block the celebrations.
Organisers of the protesters claim that they believe the event had become too corporate and marginalises minorities.
“What side are my people? What side are you on? No justice, no pride,” protesters shouted.
In a statement explaining the protest, the group wrote: “Capital Pride has consistently demonstrated that it is more interested in accommodating the interests of Metropolitan police and of corporate sponsors than it is in supporting the very communities it supposedly represents.”
Police formed a block around the protesters but allowed them to carry on.
Police Chief Peter Newsham said: “We anticipated this. We knew there would be counterprotests. We had planned for an alternative route, and that’s what we used.”
While there was no official police estimate released, Newsham said that it was not “unusual to get 50,000 people for an event like this”.
Despite the protest, thousands of people filled the streets with rainbow flags and stunning costumes.
One person, Henrique Barbosa, told wtop that he was marching for those internationally who could not celebrate their sexuality so openly.
“There is a lot of people in a lot of places who cannot do something like this.
“They cannot go out in the street without being afraid of suffering violence.
“So it’s important for whoever can do this to go out and do it, to show that people like us have value and should not suffer violence anywhere,” Barbosa added.
Another marcher, Christine Devito, was at Pride for the first time with her company which sponsored a float.
“I get to be here, I get to be who I am, and I get to be with my job,” she said. “To combine all of those things is fantastic.
