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Amsterdam Pride parade blends celebration and protest in LGBTQ show of solidarity
A record 260,000 people attended Pride in Germany’s Hamburg while in Prague the parade drew tens of thousands demanding equal rights
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At Amsterdam’s World Heritage canals on Saturday around 80 colourful Pride boats sailed through in the finale of a week-long celebration in the city that stood in stark contrast to recent crackdowns on LGBTQ rights in fellow European Union member state Hungary.
While the flotilla is not political, attendees used the occasion in the Netherlands to criticise conflicts or world leaders for their stance on LGBTQ rights.
Thehany Gilmore, a 43-year-old Dutch-Caribbean dressed in a leather outfit with a whip, said the banning of the Budapest parade in Hungary “is a form of oppression”.
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“People everywhere should have their own pride to be able to represent who they are,” she said.
Palestinian flags were spotted among the crowd of revellers and Dutch police arrested four activists who had jumped into the water to vandalise the Booking.com boat in protest over its listings in settlements in Israeli-occupied territories.
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Others criticised US President Donald Trump, whose administration implemented anti-trans policies and cut funding for international aid programmes, dealing a setback to HIV prevention efforts in Africa.
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