Belfast Pride parade 2022 has been named the "largest Pride parade to date" by the PSNI. Tens of thousands of people made their way to Belfast city centre on Saturday to celebrate Northern Ireland's LGBTQ+ community.
Police have said that according to their "initial assessments", the 2022 parade is the largest in the event's history, beating the last parade held three years ago. In 2019, 60,000 came out to partake in the Pride parade a number believed to have been beaten this year.
Superintendent Gerard Pollock said: “I want to take this opportunity to thank all those involved for their help in making today’s Belfast Pride Parade run smoothly.
In Pictures: Belfast city centre flooded with colour for biggest ever Pride parade
“This is the first parade since 2019 and our initial assessment is that it was larger than 2019 which would make this year’s event, the largest Pride parade to date.
“The Police Service of Northern Ireland has been involved in the Pride Festival for the past number of years. Pride is an important series of events for those who identify as being LGBT+ and we see this not just as an opportunity to highlight that hate crime, in whatever form, is wrong and the importance of reporting it but also to engage with and show our support for members of the LGBT+ community.
“Hate crime must not be tolerated and victims should feel confident that when they contact police that their concerns will be taken seriously and responded to appropriately.”
Belfast Pride week 2022 is the biggest ever celebration that the city has ever seen, with over 135 events taking place across the 10-day period. This year's parade was used to mark the 30th anniversary of Belfast Pride, an event that was missed in 2021 due to Covid-19 restrictions.
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