Key facts
- Oradea, Romania, has denied permission for a Pride march for four consecutive years.
- Organisers plan to proceed with an unauthorised march on Saturday.
Organisers in Oradea, Romania, plan to proceed with a Pride march on Saturday despite local authorities denying permission for the fourth consecutive year. Officials cite technical and logistical reasons, but campaigners argue the bans are discriminatory and undermine democratic principles.
The repeated blocking of the Pride march in Oradea raises concerns about democratic freedoms and the rule of law in Romania, drawing international condemnation and highlighting potential discrimination against the LGBT community.
Campaigners in the Romanian city of Oradea have vowed to proceed with a Pride march on Saturday, despite local authorities denying permission for the fourth year in a row. The city's mayor, whose party identifies as liberal, conservative, and Christian democratic, did not respond to requests for comment.
Since 2023, organisers have faced repeated opposition, with authorities citing legal or technical excuses to block the events. For the 2024 march, officials claimed that none of the over 100 proposed routes were viable due to overlaps with other events or public infrastructure works. Organisers argue these are pretexts to discriminate against the LGBT community.
"It feels like the message that they are trying to send our way is that we’re not welcome here," said Iulian Ditiu, co-founder of ARK Oradea. He noted that authorities have never explicitly stated the bans are for LGBT reasons, always hiding behind technicalities.
The repeated blocking of the Pride march has drawn international attention, with 152 organisations from 30 countries signing a statement calling for the event to be allowed. The statement highlighted that consistent prevention of peaceful assembly undermines democratic principles and noted the comparison to restrictions on Pride in other European states as an indicator of democratic backsliding.
Organisers plan to hold an unauthorised march, similar to last year when nine participants were fined. This year, however, representatives from several diplomatic missions and the Romanian ombudsman are expected to attend, signalling increased support and scrutiny.