World News | LGBT Solidarity March in Norway for Cancelled Pride Parade
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. Hundreds of people marched through the Norwegian capital on Saturday in an LBGT solidarity event to honor the Pride parade that was cancelled in June after a deadly shooting outside a popular gay bar.
Helsinki, Sep 10 (AP) Hundreds of people marched through the Norwegian capital on Saturday in an LBGT solidarity event to honor the Pride parade that was cancelled in June after a deadly shooting outside a popular gay bar.
Marchers in “The Rainbow Train” passed the central Oslo nightlife district where a man identified as Zaniar Matapour shot and killed two men and injured several others outside the London Pub on June 25, just hours before the planned start of the Pride parade.
Norwegian citizen Matapour is being held on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and terrorism.
His motive for the shooting remains unclear but police say hate crime is a possibility.
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Organisers stressed the event Saturday wasn't meant to be a substitute for the original Pride parade but rather a show of solidarity to Norway's LBGT community.
“It is absolutely fantastic," Oslo Pride spokesman Dan Bjoerke told Norwegian news agency NTB.
“There is a sea of people who will show everyone that it is love that wins. We must have diversity, we must have a society where people can be allowed to be themselves without fear.”
Prime Minister Jan Stoere Gahr was among the several Norwegian politicians who took part.
“We are taking back the streets. It's not the Pride parade we had planned for June but this is a celebration that is important for people to be able to express these important values,” Stoere told NTB.
Saturday's event culminated in a concert in Oslo. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)