I’m here to grieve over the soulless corporate character of ‘Pride in London’, which has nothing to say about LGBTQI issues today such as 1 in 4 homeless people in the UK being from our community, the people seeing services upon which they depend cut as part of the austerity agenda (3), or the loss of queer spaces in London to property developers serving an international elite (4). We’re also here to protest against what it has become.
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Those in the funeral procession confronted UKIP waving their flags and chanting, and this ultimately lead to UKIP supporters leaving the scene, in the face of growing hostility.ĭan Laverick a mourner at ‘RIP Pride’ said: “We’re here to remember what Pride started as, and its radical legacy. RIP Pride mourners were reading a Pride eulogy around their grounded Pride coffin when they spotted UKIP marching near the front. However, it transpired that a group of men holding UKIP placards were one of the first groups marching on the parade, closely following Barclays (2). One of the organisers later went on to call members of the community concerned by the inclusion of the far-right party, ‘hypocrites’ (1). The queer community outcry for UKIP removal, resulted in Pride organisers disinviting them, citing ‘health and safety concerns’ rather than recognising the grievances of those who raised concerns. This involved a key position for UKIP at the front of the parade.
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The group’s action was one of sombre defiance against the fee that Pride organisers now charge those who want a place on the historically significant LGBT parade.Īnger at the annual parade reached unprecedented levels this year, when news of UKIP’s inclusion in queer festivities were originally confirmed. With flags baring messages of solidarity, politics, freedom and anti-commercialisation, RIP Pride activists solemnly strode the route section from Oxford Circus toward Embankment, until its final destination at the foot of Whitehall. Coffin bearers, flag wavers, banner holders, an undertaker and a samba band sounding a slow funereal beat, all resisted security and stewards who attempted to physically remove them from the street.
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Pride Funeral breaks into protest and leads the London LGBT Pride march ahead of Barclays and chases UKIP off Pride.Ī coalition of individuals belonging to LGBTQI communities and holding a ‘Pride Funeral’ procession, broke through barriers at Oxford Circus to lead this year’s London LGBT Pride Parade.