Amid political turmoil, war, social issues and cultural changes, Pride celebrations in Europe continue to demonstrate the resilience and determination of LGBTI communities

Today, on the eve of EuroPride in Thessaloniki, we are highlighting a number of significant Pride events on the continent, and one clear message shines through: LGBTI people are persisting in asserting their right to assemble and freely express themselves, thereby firmly establishing their presence in society. Pride events not only celebrate identity and diversity but also serve as critical platforms for political engagement. They amplify the voices of LGBTI people across Europe, who continue to push boundaries and demand their rightful place in society. Here are just a few of the thousands that have and will happen across Europe this year, in places where challenges are acute.

Kyiv Pride, Ukraine

Kyiv Pride 2024, on June 16, took place amidst challenging circumstances, reflecting the determination of Ukraine’s LGBTI community. Despite facing a cap on participation and heightened security measures, over 500 people marched through the streets of the capital to advocate for partnership recognition and protections against hate crimes. The event occurred against a backdrop of ongoing war, underscoring the urgent need for legislative reforms to safeguard LGBTI rights in Ukraine. Despite tensions and counter-protests, Kyiv Pride 2024 stood as a powerful assertion of the community’s right to freedom of assembly and expression.

“We took only a few steps, we made this painful compromise for the sake of safety and in order to revive the tradition and make a powerful and open Kyiv Pride March next year.” – Anna Sharygina, lead organiser of KyivPride.

La Pride des Banlieues (The Pride of the Suburbs), La Courneuve, France

La Pride des Banlieues happened in La Courneuve on June 22, representing LGBTI people from French working-class areas, many of whom are racialised. The group has been organising the Pride for several years in Saint-Denis. This year, however, the municipalities denied permission to march in Saint-Denis because of preparations for the Olympic Games in the city. Due to a last-minute relocation from its original venue and losing support from a municipality that had previously been an ally of past La Pride des Banlieues marches, the event took place in another suburb of Paris with less resources for security and less time to figure out new support infrastructure.

It was important that La Pride des Banlieues took place this year as the far-right opposition has been gaining more traction in France, getting more intense in their actions against LGBTI communities, with racialised LGBTI communities particularly facing multiple situations of discrimination and harassment. In their political message at La Pride des Banlieues, the organisers and their constituents condemned rising hate speech, discriminatory immigration policies, and institutional racism, aiming to resist far-right co-optation and mobilise solidarity against oppression of ethnic minorities and LGBTI communities in the suburbs.

“The fight against the far-right cannot be reduced to a universal fight, we must recognise the multiple and interconnected realities of oppression.” – La Pride des Banlieues organisers.

Trans Pride Istanbul, Turkey

Trans Pride Istanbul on Sunday June 23 was marked by decentralised actions across the city. Under the theme “Perpetrator State,” participants asserted trans visibility and existence, refusing to be silenced despite bans and oppression. Rather than a centralised march, activists mounted a number of smaller, unannounced activities like hanging trans flags, projecting messages across city landmarks and reading of a statement in front of Pride attendees. The event unfolded amidst stringent security measures, including metro station closures and a heavy police presence. Two people were detained and released after. This year’s Trans Pride Istanbul not only showcased solidarity and determination among Turkey’s trans community but also highlighted ongoing issues of discrimination and the fight for visibility and rights, echoing their message that the state is accountable for perpetuating violence and systemic injustices against trans people.

“We are trans people who are made the targets of violent and discriminatory policies at any chance given just because of our trans identities.” – Trans Pride Istanbul organisers

Looking Ahead

As we approach the end of June, two more significant events lie ahead this weekend.

Bucharest Pride, Romania

More than 25,000 people are expected to take to the streets of Bucharest on Saturday, June 29 to celebrate diversity and claim the rights of the LGBTI community at a crucial moment in Romania. Both presidential and general elections are approaching, and 20% of Romanian MEPs elected to the European Parliament were from the far right, with two of them using anti-LGBTI hate speech. Additionally, a new referendum regarding the definition of families is being pushed by the government opposition.

Pride in Bucharest will address the urgent need for legal recognition and protection of all same-sex families, continuing the push for the immediate implementation of the 2018 Coman case. In the case, the European Court of Justice affirmed residency rights in EU countries (that do not recognise same-sex unions) for the spouse of an EU citizen exercising their right to freedom of movement. Romania has yet to implement the verdict by granting Andrew Coman’s husband a residence permit, and a draft law has been adopted that would stop Romania from implementing it.

ILGA-Europe will be in Bucharest this coming October for their Annual Conference, working with local hosts ACCEPT and MozaiQ, recognizing this as a crucial moment for LGBTI human rights in Romania.

Istanbul Pride, Turkey

Istanbul Pride will take place on Sunday, June 30. Given the government and police response to Pride in the country over the past years, we will be closely monitoring what is happening. One thing we do know is that the LGBTI community in Istanbul and their allies will assert their human right to freedom of assembly and freedom of expression by attending Pride, with pride, resilience and courage. We will be reporting on Istanbul in this year’s instalment of our Turkey Pride monitoring blog over the coming weeks, as we learn from activists and organisers how officials are responding to Prides across the country. You can read our Turkey Pride monitoring blog from 2023 here.

In this blog, marking International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, seven of our partner organisations share their aspirations, visions, and messages for the wider LGBTI movement

Across Europe and Central Asia, tremendous collective work is needed to undo deeply embedded prejudice, racism, inequities and oppression.

Many groups and collectives, led by and working for racialised LGBTI communities, are putting their knowledge, time, energy and talent to use, day in and day out, in the undoing of prejudice and oppression within our movements and societies.

Here are the visions seven of our partner organisations, run by racialised activists, hold for the movement and the future.

ARA ART – Czechia

“We are working towards future where intersectional equality will be key to everyone feeling respected and supported in their unique identities.”

“In the future LGBTI movement in Europe, it should be a priority to protect and respect particularly vulnerable minorities within the LGBTI movement to ensure that every individual feels safe and supported.”

Break Isolation group/International Women* Space (IWS) – Germany     

“We are working towards a future where the freedom of movement, autonomy, emancipation and liberation of racialised queer folk is a right, not a privilege.”

“In the future LGBT movement in Europe, we hope to collaborate, join formidable alliances and create sustainable community care and support systems for racialised LGBT persons in Europe and beyond.”

Fite Qlub – netherlands

“We are working towards a future where people living in the Western world are not subjected to racialisation, homophobia, and transphobia. Our mission is to end systemic oppression, both political and economic, against LGBTQI+ communities that are not conforming with the norms of Western society, and achieve sexual liberation through an intersectional and anti-colonial approach.”

“In the future European LGBTI movement, we need to collaborate with our comrades and allies to create networks of care and solidarity to support each other. The challenges occurring in one country affect others, despite the illegitimate borders drawn by nation-states with a colonial mindset. European policies and institutions often perpetuate the destiny for a white, cis, heteronormative, capitalist system that is an oppressive tool over our communities in Europe.”

Minbar Wien – Austria   

“We are working towards a future where people feel more connectedness within the queer community.”

“In this future, the LGBTI movement in Europe will include racialised points of view and needs within the decision-making process and will make a space for cultural diversity within the priorities.”

La Pride des Banlieues – France 

“We are working towards future where the most marginalised people will have access to the same rights as everyone.”

“In this future LGBTI movement in Europe, we will strive to make the struggles of racialised and marginalised people more visible and will ensure that they are heard.”

Rainbow Mind – UK        

“We are working towards a future where all LGBTQIA people have access to culturally competent mental health services and where all parts of their identity are welcome.”

“For this future LGBTI movement in Europe, we call for mental health support for all LGBTQIA people as a human right. We need a radical approach to health activism to co-produce mental health support tailored by and for racialised LGBTQIA people.”

Rainbow Nation Brussels – Belgium        

“We, at Rainbow Nation Brussels, are working towards a future where every Black, brown, and person of colour within the LGBTQIA+ community feels valued, heard, and supported.”

“In this future, let’s commit to deconstructing our biases, unlearning racist behaviours and collectively creating spaces that are truly inclusive, where every member of our community can thrive without fear of marginalisation or injustice.”

ILGA-Europe has the privilege to learn from and work with these groups through our dedicated programme in support of the work done by and for racialised LGBTI communities. We are currently inviting project proposals for the next iteration of this programme, as we continue our commitment to providing funds and support for those in the LGBTI movement who address intersectional impacts of injustice, racialisation, racism and supremacy, affecting the lives of racialised LGBTI communities across Europe.

Disaggregated data, which can look deeply into the lived experiences of marginalised people, is a key demand of LGBTI and other human rights groups. With this in mind, over the last year ILGA-Europe have been partnering with a variety of NGOs in the region to analyse the FRA 2019 LGBTI Survey II data and pull out experiences of those experiencing intersectional marginalisation. This work is based on analysis co-commissioned by ILGA-Europe and TGEU.

This briefing seeks to elaborate on existing analysis of the FRA LGBTI Survey II, and summarises the most relevant data about the experiences of LGBTI persons in Europe with a migration background coming from outside of EU, LGBTI non-migrant ethnic minorities and LGBTI religious minorities in the EU.

To understand the challenges faced by LGBTI migrants from outside of the EU and belonging to ethnic or religious minorities, we created sub-populations of respondents, who identified themselves as belonging to these groups, and compared them with all respondents to the survey.

ILGA-Europe, ENAR and 150 organisations across Europe co-signed this open letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to raise our serious concerns regarding the lack of reaction of EU leaders regarding police brutality against people of colour in Europe as well as institutional and structural racism.

Dear Ms. von der Leyen,

As organisations working for an equal and inclusive Europe, we would like to raise our serious concerns regarding the lack of real reaction of EU leaders regarding police brutality against people of colour in Europe as well as institutional and structural racism, following the killing of George Floyd in the United States and ensuing solidarity protests in Europe and across the world. We were appalled by the statement by EU Commissioner Schinas which delegitimises the public outcry against police brutality and institutional racism in Europe.

On 3 June 2020, Commissioner Schinas was quoted in the Financial Times as saying that events such as the killing of African-American man George Floyd in Minneapolis, and the wave of demonstrations against it, were “not likely?.?.?.?to happen in Europe at this scale”. “I do not think that we have issues now in Europe that blatantly pertain to police brutality or issues of race transcending into our systems. But we do have an issue in Europe, which is the issue of inequalities and income distribution — making the best for everyone of what we have.”

As an EU Commissioner, Mr. Schinas should have shown empathy with the victims of widespread racism in the EU. Instead his reckless statement has denied racialised communities across the EU the recognition of the oppression they are subjected to on a daily basis.

His statement is a blatant denial of the existence of police brutality and discriminatory policing in Europe, despite evidence of this reality, including from EU bodies themselves, such as the EU Fundamental Rights Agency, which found that one quarter of all persons of African descent surveyed were stopped by the police in the five years before the survey, and among these, 41% characterised the most recent stop as racial profiling. In France, young men perceived as black or Arab are 20 times more likely to be controlled by police than others. In the UK, data shows that the proportion of black and ethnic minority deaths in custody as a result of use of force or restraint by the police, is over two times greater than it is in other deaths in custody. Roma people across Europe also experience racial profiling and police violence. This is not a new issue. For decades, ENAR and anti-racist organisations on the ground have been reporting what racialised communities experience at the hands of the police across the European Union: discriminatory stop and search, abuse, violence and even death. So far, however, there has been little visibility and no public response.

EU and member state leaders pointed fingers at the United States for the killing of George Floyd and police brutality, while maintaining a deafening silence on the situation in their own countries, going as far as denying that police violence is an issue in Europe. This lack of reaction reflects a denial of long-standing existence of systems of oppression in European societies, of historical injustices and persistent racial inequalities in areas of housing, healthcare, employment and education, as well as repeated experiences of state violence and impunity.

The bare minimum that EU leaders should do is acknowledge the existence of and publicly condemn discriminatory and violent police practices, in particular when it results in death. But most European political leaders were not even able to do that.

There is an urgent need to ensure fair and effective policing practices for all communities. EU member state governments must adopt measures to combat and prevent racism in law enforcement. This includes severe sanctions in cases of police violence, ensuring fair and independent investigations, prohibiting racial profiling, and increasing racial diversity and trainings within the police force. The EU and its Member States should also collect equality data to make visible where racial profiling, disproportionate use of force and deaths following an interaction with the police are happening. Such data should enable intersectional cross-analysis, for example to identify specific experiences of racialised women.

Twenty years ago, the European Union was at the forefront of the fight against racial discrimination when it adopted landmark laws to prohibit discrimination based on race or ethnic origin. In a time of rising racist violence, persistent discrimination and racial inequality, the European Commission must have a stronger, more public commitment to address police violence and structural racism in Europe.

We would be happy to meet you to discuss our concerns in more detail and propose solutions, and look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely,

Karen Taylor, Chair of the European Network Against Racism

Co-signed by:
1. ABVV-ACOD Cultuur, Belgium
2. ACLI-Vlaanderen vzw, Belgium
3. Aditus Foundation, Malta
4. Africa Solidarity Centre, Ireland
5. African and Caribbean Diversity, United Kingdom
6. African Media Association, Malta
7. AGE Platform Europe
8. AIF+ – Actieve Interculturele Federatie vzw, Belgium
9. AKAZ – Kazumba Association, Portugal
10. Alliance Citoyenne, France
11. Altera, Italy
12. Andalucía Acoge, Spain
13. ANTIGONE – Information and Documentation Centre on Racism, Ecology, Peace and Non-Violence, Greece
14. Anti-Racist Forum, Finland
15. Apna Haq, United Kingdom
16. Arciragazzi Portici, Italy
17. ASKV Refugee Support, Netherlands
18. Asociación Musulmana por los Derechos Humanos (AMDEH), Spain
19. Asociacion Nacional Presencia Gitana, Spain
20. Asociación Rumiñahui, Spain
21. Association of African Students in Europe (AASE)
22. ASTI asbl – Associations de soutien aux travailleurs immigrés, Luxembourg
23. Ba Omar, Ecowasflanders, Belgium
24. Balbriggan Integration Forum, Ireland
25. BAMKO-CRAN asbl, Belgium
26. Ban Ying Koordinations- und Beratungsstelle gegen Menschenhandel e.V., Germany
27. BePax, Belgium
28. Café Congo, Belgium
29. CCME, the Churches´ Commission for Migrants in Europe
30. CEJI-A Jewish Contribution to an Inclusive Europe
31. Center for Equality Advancement, Lithuania
32. Center for Intersectional Justice, Germany
33. Center for Migration, Gender and Justice, Germany
34. Central Council of German Sinti and Roma, Germany
35. Centre de Médiation des Gens du Voyage et des Roms, Belgium
36. Centre for Peace Studies, Croatia
37. Centre Régional de Verviers pour l’Intégration, Belgium
38. Centre Régional d’Intégration de Charleroi, Belgium
39. Collectif Contre l’Islamophobie en Belgique (CCIB), Belgium
40. Collectif Contre l’Islamophobie en France (CCIF), France
41. Collectif féministe Kahina, Belgium
42. Collectif Mémoire Coloniale, Belgium
43. Confédération des Syndicats Chrétiens (CSC), Belgium
44. Conseil Représentatif des Associations Noires (CRAN), France
45. Counsellor Sanchia Alasia, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, United Kingdom
46. Discrimination Law Association, United Kingdom
47. Dokumentations- und Beratungsstelle Islamfeindlichkeit & antimuslimischer Rassismus, Austria
48. Each One Teach One e.V. (EOTO), Germany
49. Een Andere Joodse Stem (EAJS), Belgium
50. ELLA vzw, Belgium
51. EMCEMO, Netherlands
52. ENAR Belgium
53. Equal Opportunities Initiative Association, Bulgaria
54. European Council for Refugees and Exiles (ECRE)
55. European Forum of Muslim Women (EFOMW)
56. European Network of Women of African Descent (ENWAD)
57. European Network On Religion and Belief
58. European Roma Grassroots Organisations Network
59. European Roma Information Office (ERIO)
60. European Roma Rights Centre
61. European Women’s Lobby
62. Federation of Roma Associations in Catalonia – FAGiC, Spain
63. FMV vzw, Belgium
64. Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations (FEMYSO)
65. Foundation for Shelter and Support to Migrants, Malta
66. Fundación Al Fanar para el Conocimiento Árabe, Spain
67. Furia, Belgium
68. Generation 2.0 RED, Greece
69. Greek Forum of Migrants, Greece
70. Grupo EducAR – Anti Racist Education, Portugal
71. Hand in Hand tegen racisme, Belgium
72. Hart Boven Hard, Belgium
73. Help Refugees, United Kingdom
74. Human Rights League (Liga za ?udské práva), Slovakia
75. IDB Initiative für ein diskriminierungsfreies Bildungswesen, Austria
76. Il Razzismo è una brutta storia, Italy
77. ILGA-Europe
78. In IUSTITIA, Czech Republic
79. Inequalities Research Network, University of Leeds, United Kingdom
80. InMenteItaca, Italy
81. Instituto de Asuntos Culturales – IACE, Spain
82. Integratipact vzw, Belgium
83. Integro Association, Bulgaria
84. Intercultural Dialogue Platform, Belgium
85. Irish Network Against Racism, Ireland
86. Jesuit Refugee Service Europe
87. Jesuit Refugee Service Malta
88. Job@Ubuntu, Belgium
89. Kaneza Karen, former ENAR board member, Belgium
90. KARAMAH EU
91. Killion Munyama, Polish MP
92. King Brenda, ACDiversity, United Kingdom
93. KISA – Action for equality, support, anti-racism, Cyprus
94. Kopin – Koperazzjoni Internazzjonali, Malta
95. Kreativ Research Association-Center for Media Studies and Social Research, Romania
96. La Voix des Rroms, France
97. Lallab, France
98. Le Monde des Possibles, Belgium
99. Ligue des droits humains, Belgium
100. Malta Emigrants’ Commission, Malta
101. Merhaba, Belgium
102. Migrant Tales, Finland
103. Migrant Women Association, Malta
104. Minderhedenforum, Belgium
105. MOC, Belgium
106. Movimento di Cooperazione Educativa di Torino, Italy
107. MRAX ASBL, Mouvement contre le Racisme, l’Antisémitisme et la Xénophobie, Belgium
108. Muslim Association of Greece, Greece
109. Mwinda Kitoko vzw, Belgium
110. Netzwerk Rassismus und Diskriminierungsfreies Bayern e.V., Germany
111. Nevo Parudimos Association, Romania
112. NiLi, Network Italiano dei Leader per l’Inclusione, Italy
113. Objectif, mouvement pour l’égalité des droits asbl, Belgium
114. ORBIT vzw, Belgium
115. Pan-African Movement for Justice, Sweden
116. Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM)
117. Por Ti Mujer, Spain
118. Quaker Council for European Affairs
119. Queer Base – Welcome & Support for LGBTIQ Refugees, Austria
120. Rainbowhouse Brussels, Belgium
121. Red Acoge, Spain
122. Red Española de Inmigración y Ayuda al Refugiado, Spain
123. Refugee Rights Europe
124. Reghif Mouhad, Bruxelles Panthères, Belgium
125. Regional Roma Educational Youth Association – RROMA, North Macedonia
126. Rete21marzo, Italy
127. REVIBRA Europe – European Support Network to Brazilian women in Europe
128. Roma Active Albania
129. Roma Community Centre, Lithuania
130. Roma Education Fund
131. Roma Entrepreneurship Development Initiative REDI
132. Roots vzw, Belgium
133. Samenlevingsopbouw, Belgium
134. SEER vzw, Belgium
135. SHARE Forum, Belgium
136. Siempre-Making Latin Women Visible, Belgium
137. Slovo 21, Czech Republic
138. SolidarityNow, Greece
139. SOS Malta, Malta
140. Stichting OCAN, Netherlands
141. Stichting voor mensen zonder verblijfsvergunning – STIL Utrecht, Netherlands
142. Tayush, Belgium
143. Uganda Association of Ireland, Ireland
144. UNESCO Inclusive Policy Lab – People of of African Descent and the SDGs e-team
145. Union des Progressistes Juifs de Belgique (UPJB), Belgium
146. Vaiya Alfiaz, former coordinator of the EP Anti-Racism and Diversity Intergroup
147. Victoria Deluxe vzw, Belgium
148. Vie Féminine, Belgium
149. Voice of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians, Kosovo
150. Waterford Integration Services, Ireland
151. WoW e.V., Germany
152. CeRAIC, Belgium