COMMENTARY

Problems with Gay Prides from officialdom in Europe have been experienced this year in Chisinau (Moldova), Bucharest (Romania), Warsaw (Poland) and Riga (Latvia).  But by the end of this week, it is possible – and perhaps unthinkable – that Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, will be added to this list.

Is this a nightmare?  Alas, no.

On Thursday in Belfast, the Parades Commission will decide on whether Belfast’s Gay Pride can go ahead on August 6 – it will be the 15th annual Pride in the city.

Why should the Parades Commission be asked to rule of the matter?  The Commission was set-up because of the ‘divide’ between the Roman Catholic and Protestant communities and to regulate parades, mainly by Protestants, that have long been seen as provocations.  This is a touchy subject – and has been for decades.

But the gay community in Northern Ireland – along with sports and many other ‘communities’ – has no such divides.  They just get on with their lives irrespective of religious beliefs.

So why has the question of Belfast Pride been referred to the Parades Commission?

The answer, according to the Belfast Sunday Life (the Sunday edition of the Belfast Telegraph), is because the Northern Ireland Police Service has asked them to rule on the matter!

Yes, the Police.

The cause of all this brouhaha is a small group of Christian fundamentalist who claim the Gay Pride Parade will be offensive to them.

But, at the same time, this group is cashing in on Pride to the extent that they have a website whose url is so close to the official Pride website, www.belfastpride.com

The fundamentalists set up a site in July last year, Stop the Parade Coalition, at www.belfastpride.org.  The language used on this site is certainly offensive to gays, and veering towards that used by the notorious Fred Phelps in America.

While the fundamentalists have every right to their views, if the Belfast Gay Pride Parade is offensive to them, they can stay away.  No one is forcing them to be in Belfast city centre on the afternoon of August 6.

The Sunday Life reports that emails to the Commission are 50/50 pro and con.

The Parades Commission meets to discuss the matter on Tuesday (July 26) and the following day is scheduled to meet with Belfast Pride Committee the following evening.

We can but hope that the Commission arrives at the right decision – to allow the parade.  The past 14 years of Pride in Belfast have been peaceful.

Obviously, if the Commission gives the go-ahead, it will be up to the police to deal with the fundamentalists who will surely turn up to spread their homophobic hate.

If the Commission says no, then the Judiciary could well be in for a spot of “overtime”.