Thousands of LGBTQ+ supporters took to the streets of Romania’s capital Saturday for its annual gay pride parade, following a tense election cycle marked by an increase in hate speech against the community.
Marchers of all ages walked through Bucharest’s streets and down the central Victory Avenue, as many waved colorful flags, blew whistles and held placards that read: “Be proud, be bold, be you!” Held since 2005, the event marked Bucharest Pride’s 20th anniversary.
This year’s parade comes on the heels of a highly divisive and chaotic election cycle that saw a rise in support for far-right and conservative political figures and parties in the European Union member, one of the bloc’s most religious countries.
Victor Ciobotaru, executive director of ACCEPT Association, an LGBTQ+ rights group, told The Associated Press that throughout the 2024-2025 election cycle, the organization registered “a huge increase” in hate crimes against the LGBTQ+ community.
“We had more people complaining about being harassed on the streets or being attacked,” he said. “This hate speech doesn’t remain without effect, we can feel the tension within the society … We are going to continue to fight for our rights, no matter the political climate.”
Earlier on Saturday, right-wing groups who advocate for traditional family values and oppose same sex marriage held an anti-LGBT countermarch in the capital, with many waving the country’s tricolor national flags and others holding placards depicting religious icons.
Ahead of the parade, the ACCEPT association also reported a large “STOP LGBT” banner that had been draped over an abandoned Bucharest apartment block, which was later removed.
“These types of actions are now more legitimized by the hate discourse which was spread all during these years, during these electoral campaigns,” Ciobotaru added. “We will not be afraid to go on the streets.”
This year marks 24 years since Romania, a country of about 19 million, decriminalized homosexuality.
In ILGA-Europe’s 2025 Rainbow Map, which assesses the legal and policy landscape for LGBT people across Europe, Romania ranked last among all 27 EU countries, followed by Poland and Bulgaria, the advocacy group found.
