Swedes donate 5,000 euros to Warsaw Pride

By Tony Grew • May 28, 2008 - 18:05

The 2007 Warsaw parade drew a record 5,000 supporters

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The organisers of EuroPride 2008 have revealed that they are supporting this weekend's Pride festival in Warsaw with a grant.

Stockholm Pride will this year give Warsaw 5000 euros from the "Solidarity Fund."

The festival in the Polish capital starts on Saturday.

Representatives from Stockholm Pride will join in the closing parade on June 7th.

Stockholm organisers said that their Polish counterparts had received very little funding from businesses and only hostility from the municipal authorities.

"Our Polish lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender friends face harsh resistance both in politics and as individuals," said Jonah Nylund, president of Stockholm Pride.

"It is therefore important that we support Equality Foundation, the arrangers of Warsaw Pride, both financially and by our own presence."

Polish courts and the European Court of Human Rights have found bans on pride events in Polish cities in 2004 and 2005 to be unlawful.

The 2007 Warsaw parade drew a record 5,000 supporters and little protest, and a smaller march in Krakow went forward without major incident.

"International support gives us the strength and courage to carry on our work and makes the whole event possible," said Marcin Sroczynski, coordinator of Warsaw Pride.

"We hope this year's festivities with the film festival will be successful and contribute to Poland's progress on our way towards normalcy."

This summer Stockholm Pride is hosting EuroPride from July 25th to August 3rd.

Warsaw Pride website: www.paradarownosci.pl

For further information about Stockholm Pride and the solidarity fund: www.stockholmpride.org

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