Opponents wearing balaclavas confronted the Equality March in Odessa
On Sunday, May 17, members of the LGBT community held an Equality March in Odesa, marching in a procession from Primorsky Boulevard to Birzhovaya Square.
The event was accompanied by a massive police presence and counter-protests by radical opponents.
At the end of the event, near the monument to Duke de Richelieu, physical clashes broke out between anti-pride protesters and law enforcement officers.
The main goal of the march was to demand the protection of human rights and a shift in the direction of legislative initiatives.
Participants expressed their strong opposition to the adoption of Bill No. 15150, which provides for a large-scale recodification and the implementation of a new Civil Code of Ukraine.
According to the protesters, the proposed provisions significantly restrict citizens’ rights and create new legal obstacles.
The organizers publicly announced the key demands of the human rights event to the country’s central government.
“A challenge has emerged in Ukraine that is relevant to the entire population. It is the draft Civil Code, which creates enormous problems for everyone. And we demand that the promises made be fulfilled: these include civil partnerships, protection against hate crimes, and a ban on discrimination against LGBTQ+ people,” said organizer Anna Leonova.
After the march ended, Pride participants began an official rally on Birzhovaya Square. By that point, some of the event’s opponents had already dispersed, allowing the first part of the rally to proceed relatively peacefully.
However, later on, supporters of “traditional values” launched their own counter-protest, holding a banner reading “Odessa—Not Sodom” and shouting radical slogans calling for physical violence.
Stefanchuk denied that the draft of the new Civil Code restricts LGBT rights
Stefanchuk explained the introduction of the term “public decency” in the Civil Code.
No one really needs the new Civil Code
The Civil Code needs to be revised; otherwise, there will be more misunderstandings
