Believers disrupt LGBT march in Chisinau

On May 21, Orthodox faithful have prevented sexual minorities from marching down the planned itinerary through central Chisinau. The religious believers blocked the street in front of the marchers. Police bussed them away, reports Interfax-Religion.

The march by the LGBT community took place in one of the main streets in Chisinau, the Moldovan capital, about two kilometers.

The march involved several hundred participants, including LGBT activists from Gender-doc, a nongovernmental organization, civil society representatives, politicians and journalists.

The march took place without rainbow flags, slogans and placards in support of sexual minorities. It was aimed against discrimination in general, the organizers said. The marchers came with flowers, all of them wearing white T-shirts, with the words No fear written on the front and There is no fear underneath this T-shirt on the back.

The police walked in a dense cordon in front of the marchers. There were also police on both sides of the column. A few police buses followed behind.

However, after walking only a few hundred meters – less than half of the planned route – the marchers were confronted by several hundred representatives of the church who blocked the street.

The believers went out with processional banners, Orthodox song-singing and placards. The placards said: "Moldova is an Orthodox country!", "Family is Mother, Father and me!" and other slogans in defense of the traditional family.

The police promptly intervened, preventing clashes between demonstrators and their opponents. Several hundred police officers in helmets and protective gear formed a dense cordon separating the two groups.

A few minutes later it was decided to discontinue the march. The marchers were put on buses prepared by the police beforehand.