Thousands of people lined the streets of Belfast as the city’s pride parade returned for the first time in three years. Superintendent Gerard Pollock said: “I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved for their help in making today’s Belfast Pride Parade run smoothly. “This is the first parade since 2019 and our initial estimate is that it was bigger than 2019 which would make this year’s event the biggest pride parade to date. “The Police Service of Northern Ireland has been involved in the Pride Festival for the past few years.”

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PSNI officers at the Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye PSNI officers at the Belfast Pride parade in Belfast city centre. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. He added: “Pride is an important series of events for those who identify as LGBT+ and we see this not just as an opportunity to highlight that hate crime, in any form, is wrong and the importance of reporting it, but also to deal with and show our support for members of the LGBT+ community.

The history of Belfast Pride

“Hate crime should not be tolerated and victims should feel confident that when they contact the police their concerns will be taken seriously and responded to appropriately.” The parade was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Three years ago, 135 teams registered to take part in the parade. This year, organizers had to close the application window early after 200 group registrations were received. A carnival atmosphere prevailed in the city center as the rain held off until the end of the parade. Officers from the PSNI and Garda took part in the parade, walking alongside representatives from UK forces including South Wales, West Mercia, Derbyshire and British Transport Police. Ulster Rugby also took part this year, with half Ian Madigan among those marching through the town. Players from the Belfast Azlans, a predominantly gay rugby club, also took part in the parade. The GAA was also well represented, with Ulster GAA taking part along with several clubs including East Belfast GAA. Previous Next Belfast Pride is back in full force on the city’s streets Photo by Declan Roughan / Press Eye