FEELING PROUD AGAIN

London Pride Nixes Cops for 50th Anniversary Parade After Two Years of COVID-19 Cancellations

The annual celebration returned to London streets Saturday after being canceled for two years in a row over COVID-19 concerns.

For its 50th anniversary celebration, the London Pride parade makes its return after two years of cancellations due to COVID-19 concerns, with a big change—no cops. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in the streets of the UK’s capital city Saturday to celebrate LGBTQ rights with rainbow flags and glitter, the Associated Press reports. However, the city’s Metropolitan Police officers weren’t marching alongside the more than 600 LGBTQ groups taking part in the parade like in years past due to concerns about police trustworthiness. LGBTQ campaigners specifically questioned the police’s investigation into serial killer Stephen Port, who killed four gay men in 2016. Some officers joined the parade by themselves. “I think the police have been sensitive to the issues raised by the community. And there will be uniformed officers in and around Pride to make sure we’re all safe, to make sure this parade is a success,” London Mayor Sadiq Khan said.