Forum, Latvia, Legislation, Society, Strike

Participating in the rally were people from the so-called "Antiglobalists" Association, as well as their supporters from other organizations. The demonstrators were holding posters with slogans urging the Riga City Council to ban the "EuroPride" event in Riga. "Antiglobalists" claim that homosexuals have mental disorders.

Several protestors said that they see homosexuality as a threat to traditional families. One placard features a children's drawing of a man and a woman.

Other protestors told the media that allowing "EuroPride" in Riga would be treason. "Every citizen must declare that 'this is not for us.' The Constitution is being breached, and if the government allows this, it is not our government," an unnamed protester said.

Meanwhile, signatures are being collected against "EuroPride".

Leader of the "Antiglobalists", Andis Orols, asked representatives of the Riga City Council whether children should be exposed to the "EuroPride" event. Orols claims that association members are not concerned what homosexuals do in privacy, however, he believes that it is wrong to advertise it. Orols believes that the aim of the homosexual movement is to reduce the number of people in the world, at the same time pointing out Latvia's demographic issues.

Participating in the rally are also people who call themselves representatives of the Christian community. A poster featuring the slogan "More than a million Latvian Christians are defending the morality of the nation" is being displayed.

As reported, in June, Riga will be hosting the largest LGBT gathering in Europe – "Europride".

In 2012, the Latvian capital beat out such cities as Barcelona, Milan and Manchester for the right to 2015 "Europride". The event is being organized by the Latvian Association of LGBT and their Friends "Mozaika", who believe that the chance to host this event is a huge achievement.

Organizers also point out that this year's "Europride" marks a historic occasion as it will be the first one held in a post-Soviet country on EU's eastern border with Russia.

"This year's event provides an invaluable opportunity to draw pan-European attention to LGBT and human rights in the region," "Mozaika" points out.