By: V4 Agency
According to the French LGBTQ police association, their participation in this year’s Pride parade poses too great a security risk, as hostility towards police is particularly high in the notorious Seine-Saint-Denis department.
The LGBTQ police union in France has announced in the TETU magazine that its members would not take part in this year’s Pride parade in view of the current anti-police sentiment, especially because a large part of the population in Seine-Saint-Denis department is extremely hostile to the police.
It is the first time in the history of Pride that the procession will be held in the outskirts of Paris.
In addition to the high terrorist threat, police say the march would pose too great a risk for Pride itself. The parade is planned to end at Place de la Republique and will pass through several areas where police are not welcome, the union wrote.
“Compared to previous years, it is now more important to guarantee the safety of members,” they added.
Furthermore, police do not want their participation to pose additional burdens on their colleagues securing the event. Officers have been “exhausted by a much more intensive workload due to the coronavirus restictions and chiefs have had to mobilise more staff this year to ensure the safety of the march,” said Johan Cavirot, president of the LGBTQ police union.
However, the union has indicated that they will march in other cities where security is not an issue. Furthermore, the association has promised that by 2022 they will definitely participate in the Paris Pride, as well.
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