Two of Europe‘s leading LGBTI organisations have launched a new campaign calling on the European Union to take stronger action against restrictions on Pride events, arguing that attacks on LGBTQIA+ gatherings are warning signs of wider democratic backsliding.
ILGA-Europe and European Pride Organisers Association (EPOA) unveiled the ‘Protect Pride. Protect Democracy‘. campaign alongside an open letter addressed to Ursula von der Leyen and Kaja Kallas.
The organisations argue that Pride events are more than annual celebrations, describing them as visible demonstrations of fundamental democratic freedoms, including the rights to peaceful assembly, freedom of expression and participation in public life. According to the campaign, restrictions on Pride should therefore be seen as indicators of broader threats to democracy rather than issues affecting only LGBTQIA+ communities.
The initiative comes amid growing concern over increasing pressure on Pride events across parts of Europe.
According to the organisers, these pressures include outright bans on Pride marches, violence by state authorities, inadequate protection from counter-demonstrators, cuts to public funding, companies rolling back diversity, equity and inclusion commitments, online hate campaigns, the burning of rainbow flags and physical attacks on participants.
In the open letter, ILGA-Europe and EPOA warn that when governments decide who may gather, speak or be visible in public spaces, the consequences extend far beyond the LGBTI community. They argue that Pride represents one of the clearest expressions of democratic freedoms in practice and that recent rulings by the Court of Justice of the European Union have reaffirmed that the values enshrined in Article 2 of the EU Treaty are legally binding obligations for all member states.
The organisations are urging the European Commission and the European External Action Service to establish a consistent response whenever Pride events or the right to peaceful assembly come under attack. They are calling for formal public condemnations of member states, candidate countries and third countries that restrict Pride, stronger mechanisms allowing EU funding to be suspended when governments breach the bloc’s fundamental values, and the creation of a rapid-response mechanism to provide emergency support to LGBTI organisations and Pride organisers facing threats.
Patrick van der Pass of EPOA said Pride should not be viewed simply as a celebration, but as one of the most visible expressions of the freedoms that underpin democratic societies. He argued that for millions of Europeans, Pride demonstrates what the freedoms to gather, speak and be visible look like in practice.
ILGA-Europe Deputy Director Katrin Hugendubel said generations of Europeans had worked to build societies based on freedom, dignity and democracy, adding that today’s political leaders have a responsibility to protect those freedoms so future generations inherit an open, democratic and inclusive Europe.
The campaign invites individuals and organisations across Europe to sign the open letter in support of stronger protections for Pride events and the democratic freedoms they represent.
