FRANCE: LGBT Activists Object After Paris Police Cut Pride Parade Route In Half Due To Terrorism Concerns

The Local reports:

The Orlando massacre on a gay club this month is among the reasons that police are cutting short the annual Paris gay pride parade on Saturday, much to the anger of the LGBT community.

The Paris gay pride parade (or la marche des fiertés as it’s known in French) will still take place on Saturday – but the course will only be half as long as in previous years.

Authorities have reportedly cited concerns for the safety of the participants in the march, following the attack in Orlando in the US earlier this month that saw 49 people killed.

“We received this news with a slight dose of anger,” Amanda Miguel of gay rights group Inter-LGBT told BFMTV.

The decision comes after two weeks of negotiations between gay rights groups and the Paris police, who initially tried to postpone the event until September.

With the event already set to take on a less vibrant tone after the Orlando massacre – indeed participants are being encouraged to wear black armbands in memory of the victims – some members of the gay community are irate that French authorities appear to be giving in to fear.

“Giving in to fear, giving in the LGBT-phobes, this is just giving up on our struggles, our battles, our rights to live, and our diversity,” read a note on the LGBT rights group Acthe.