Court bans March of Equality in Odesa

The Odesa District Administrative Court has banned holding the March of Equality, scheduled for August 13 within the OdesaPride2016 festival of queer culture, which takes place in Odesa on August 10-14.

UNIAN Ukrainian news agency learnt this from the Court.

“The claim of the executive committee of the Odesa City Council on banning certain events of OdesaPride2016 was upheld. The right to hold the March of Equality on August 13 was limited,” the Court informed.

The court noted that the decision had been made due to the high probability of confrontation and conflicts, during which the crimes could be committed.

The court also banned to hold on that day the street military patriotic activities of local Automaidan department which had been planned to be held in the same place as the March of Equality.

• August 10, the OdesaPride2016 festival of queer culture was opened, which will run until August 14. The March of Equality was to be held within its framework on August 13.

The representatives of Christian denominations appealed to the authorities and the law enforcement bodies with the request to prevent carrying out of street action. August 9, the Odesa District Administrative Court received a claim from the executive committee of the Odesa City Council, in which the plaintiff raised the question of impossibility of holding any street actions on August 13 in the city center.

• August 11, the festival’s organizing committee first announced it was seeking another site for holding events after Gagarinn hotel had rejected hosting activities, and then canceled everything that had been scheduled for Thursday.

In August 2015, a similar march within the OdesaPride2015 festival of queer culture was announced to be held in Odesa. However, the city council refused to accept an application for his conduct, and the court banned this public action.