Bern Pride: thousands march for equality
Around 10,000 people gathered in Bern on Saturday afternoon for a Pride parade. Pride also concluded the EuroGames 2023 sporting event aimed at the LGBTQ community, which had been taking place in the Swiss capital since Wednesday.
The two-hour procession saw colourfully dressed people, mainly from the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer) community, march for equality.
The procession moved peacefully from Wankdorf, a neighbourhood in the north of Bern, to Parliament Square, where speeches and concerts were planned, the organisers of Bern PrideExternal link said.
The previous time a Pride rally was held in Bern was six years ago, when several thousand people took part.
EuroGames
The organisers of the EuroGames 2023External link gave a positive assessment of the sporting event, in which more than 2,300 athletes took part in 20 sports. Thanks to the good weather, all the tournaments could be held, they said.
In addition to the two usual gender categories, there was also a third category for non-binary people in the various disciplines. A total of about 500 medals were awarded.
“It was about experiencing inclusive sport and bringing people together from all over the world,” said Greg Zwygart, co-president of the EuroGames. Another goal of the event was to give LGBTQ people more visibility in sport.
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The event received a lot of visibility with the athletes’ village at Bern Cathedral and with hundreds of rainbow flags hung around the Old Town.
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