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Roma Pride Links LGBTQ Rights to Republic as Keshet Is Booed During March

Organisers framed the march as a defence of constitutional rights to signal concern about rising right‑wing rhetoric.

Overview

  • Tens of thousands joined the Roma Pride march on Saturday under the slogan “La Repubblica è di chi la abita” to tie LGBTQ claims to Italy’s Constitution and the 80th anniversary of the Republic.
  • After weeks of dispute, the Comune di Roma brokered a compromise that let the Jewish LGBTQ group Keshet join on foot, but Keshet activists were met with boos and chants and were held by police for security reasons.
  • Several floats and participants displayed pro‑Palestine symbols and anti‑Zionist banners, which helped make the parade a flashpoint for IsraelPalestine tensions within the demonstration.
  • Conservative figures who turned up to contest the march were heckled and escorted away by police, and at least one claim of physical aggression by a right‑wing visitor was disputed by organisers and activists.
  • Organisers, the mayor and public figures used the event to warn that growing right‑wing rhetoric threatens civil rights, while the municipal mediation and cultural voices aimed to keep the march inclusive and focused on legal protections for LGBTQ people.