The Romanian President has stepped in to save this weekend’s Bucharest's Gay Pride Parade – GayFest – which has now been given full official blessing by city authorities, it was learned tonight.

President Train Basescu, himself a former and popular mayor of the Romanian capital, intervened after receiving thousands of emails from across Europe and the world pleading that the parade, banned by  the current mayor, Adrieau Videanu, be given official status.

Gay activists in Bucharest had vowed to go ahead with the parade, despite the ban and with the knowledge that the parade would have been an act of civil disobedience without the permit from the Mayor. 

This prompted the city’s police chief to go on radio to say that police would punish those taking part on Saturday.

With Romania preparing to become a member nation of the European Union, and European Parliament expressing last month concerns about continuing discrimination of minority groups in the country, President Basescu acted swiftly after receiving a flood of emails.

The President, with other top government officials, are reported to have met with Mayor Videanu, resulting the the permit for the march being issued earlier today.

Three days ago, Florin Buhceanu, Executive Director of the Romanian human rights organisation Accept Romania, and Rev. Elder Diane Fisher of the Metropolitan Community Church sent out a joint email across the world telling of the problem of the permit for the parade and how the mayor had suddenly refused permission after his officials had agreed the parade route.  They asked that emails be sent to both the Mayor and the President.

Such was the response that on Wednesday morning the Mayor had his email address disabled.

Neither Buhceanu or Rev. Fisher could be reached, but they told the Press earlier that they were delighted at the intervention of the President.

“The willingness of people around the world to speak out for our Romanian brothers and sisters demonstrates the power that we have to change the minds of political leaders and the course of a nation’s government,” Rev. Fisher is reported to have told friends in New York on the telephone.

Reaction to the article on UK Gay News has been astonishing.  Server logs show that government departments from across Europe have accessed the page. 

LINKS

Accept Romania website

From UK Gay News Archives

Moldovan Authorities Ban Gay Rally Outside Parliament
Mayor Puts Damper on Gay Pride Parade in Warsaw
Warsaw’s Gay Pride Parade To Go Ahead Despite Mayor’s Ban
… And Now Bucharest Falls Foul of Officialdom

26  May  2005