IT was a historic day in Enniskillen on Saturday when the county’s first Pride parade took place.
Hundreds of people were either in the parade or lined the streets clapping and cheering as the procession passed by.
Not everyone got into the swing of things on the day, however, with around 20 demonstrators protesting against the parade and showing banners at the Diamond urging those taking part to “repent”.
But on an occasion all about free speech and respect for others’ beliefs, it only added to the celebration of diversity on display.
“It’s all about being respectful to each other. We have our opinions and they have theirs. Everyone was courteous to each other, so it was fine,” Fermanagh Pride events coordinator, Molly Leonard, said when asked about the protesters.
“We are not looking to fight with anybody. It’s about being amicable about it and for people to be able to express their opinions in a safe way.”
The Parades Commission had previously been made aware of several groups and individuals intending to stage counter-rallies on the day.
“We’ve a role in facilitating lawful freedom of expression such as public preaching or protest,” the PSNI said in a statement.
“These are important freedoms but cannot be used to discriminate, harass, incite hatred or violence. We will protect the safety and rights of all involved.”
The popularity of the parade surpassed the hopes the local Pride group had for the event and they are now looking to build on its success.
“We want it to be bigger and better every year. The potential is there. We know now we can do it,” Molly said.
“It really was amazing how many businesses came forward and gave us such support.
“The expectations are bigger for next year as it was such a great success, but we’ll be looking to knock it out of the park again.”
Meanwhile, police are appealing for information in relation to two Fermanagh Pride banners that were stolen from locations across Enniskillen.
A banner was stolen from Gaol Square Enniskillen between 8pm on Wednesday, September 4 and 5am on Thursday, September 5.
Another banner was stolen from the junction of the Irvinestown Road/Cornagrade Road Enniskillen between 6pm on Friday, August 30 and 9am on Monday, September 2.
If you can provide any information with this investigation please contact 101 quoting reference CC2024090500557.
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