The European Pride Organisers Association (EPOA), representing Europe‘s LGBTQIA+ pride organisations has told the United Nations (UN) that it expects increased hostility in the coming years, unless there is a change in political mood across the continent.

In evidence published on 31 January 2024 to the UN Independent Expert on Sexual orientation and Gender Identity Dr. Graeme Reid, the  EPOA said that their members are reporting increasing attacks on Pride events, including attacks on individuals. 

From the report: “This hostility has taken its most violent form at Oslo Pride (Norway) in June 2022 when two people were shot and killed outside an LGBTI+ venue in the city on the eve of the pride march. Planned attacks on Cumbria Pride (United Kingdom) in 2017, Pride in London (UK) in 2019 and Vienna Pride (Austria) in 2023 were only prevented by the diligence of security services and police.”

“Less violent attacks against pride events are common. Participants at a pride in Iași (Romania) were pelted with eggs in 2022. The city centre office of Belgrade Pride (Serbia) has been attacked 19 times in six years, with zero prosecutions. In 2021, participants at Zagreb Pride (Croatia) faced ‘fascist violence’ for the first time in years. Four thousand far right ‘activists’ threatened participants in Białystok Pride (Poland) in 2019, and nationalist groups attacked Odessa Pride (Ukraine) the same year.”

“Individual participants are also targeted, even in supposedly ‘safe’ regions. In 2022 a trans man was murdered after intervening to prevent homophobic abuse at a pride event in Münster (Germany). A male couple were violently attacked on their way home from UK Black Pride in London in 2023. A young trans boy and his family were attacked after Brussels Pride in 2022. A pride attendee was attacked after the opening event of EuroPride 2023 in Gozo (Malta).

Dr. Reid had called for evidence as part of a wide-ranging inquiry covering all forms of protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, in relation to the human rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly. The call for evidence now closed.

EPOA?

The European Pride Organisers Association was established thirty years ago and today has more than 120 member pride organisations across Europe. It also licenses the annual EuroPride event, this year taking place in Thessaloniki in Greece, from 21-29 June. In 2025, Lisbon in Portugal hosts EuroPride. In 2026, EuroPride coincides with WorldPride in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. 

Antwerp Pride

Antwerp Pride is a member of EPOA. At the 2024 New Year’s Reception, spokesperson Wilfried Eetezonne voiced a similar concern. “These are worrying times”, Eetezonne says. 

“Discussing gender topics is being threatened, there is a growing censorship on information, queer families are losing their recognition, teachers fear discussing LGBTQIA+ topics, there’s an overrepresentation of queer youth amongst the homeless, … It is time to draw a line. 55 years after the 1969 Stonewall Inn Riots in New York, we are not returning to the closet. We opened that closet, we got out, we shit that closet door and we lost the key to reopen it.”

As elsewhere, pride activities in Antwerp increase visibility and apparently these inspire people to attack lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex… people and their allies. 

Antwerp Pride is the only pride in Belgium member of EPOA. The Brussels Pride – The Belgian & European Pride is worryingly not a member. 

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