By Charlotte Van Campenhout and Milan Berckmans
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -Around 80 colorful pride boats sailed through Amsterdam’s World Heritage canals on Saturday in the finale of a week-long celebration in the city that stood in stark contrast to recent crackdowns on LGBTQ+ rights in fellow EU member state Hungary.
While the flotilla is not political, attendees used the occasion to criticise conflicts or world leaders for their stance on LGBTQ+ rights.
Thehany Gilmore, a 43-year-old Dutch-Caribbean dressed in a leather outfit with a whip, said banning of the Budapest pride parade “is a form of oppression.”
“People everywhere should have their own pride to be able to represent who they are,” she said.
Palestinian flags were spotted among the crowd of revelers, and Dutch police arrested four activists who had jumped in the water to vandalize the Booking.com boat in protest over its listings in settlements in Israeli-occupied territories.
Others criticized U.S. President Donald Trump, whose administration implemented anti-trans policies and cut funding for international aid programs, dealing a setback to HIV prevention efforts in Africa.
Some waved a hybrid U.S./Pride flag, while one boat declared itself a ‘Trump-Free Pride Boat’ with signs reading ‘Trans Rights Are Human Rights.’ Another featured mock graveyards and the message ‘Trump’s Actions Kill. Love Saves Lives,’ highlighting fears over U.S. AIDS funding cuts.
“Amsterdam Pride is… about expressing yourself, showing who you are, being grateful for the freedom that we have in Europe. The U.S. really needs to reinvent itself… be more open about people,” 40-year-old Michael Jacobs, who hails from Dutch port city Rotterdam, said.
“Don’t judge people for who they are. Just love each other.”
(Reporting by Milan Berckmans, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Editing by Bill Berkrot)
Comments