Tens of thousands march in Romania demanding LGBTQ equality

BUCHAREST (Reuters) -Tens of thousands of Romanians joined an LGBTQ Pride march in Bucharest on Saturday, demanding civil union partnership legislation and equal rights after a highly-contested presidential election last month buoyed the far right.

The European Union state has so far ignored a 2023 ruling by the European Court of Human Rights, which found Romania had failed to enforce the rights of same-sex couples by refusing to recognise their relationships.

Socially conservative Romania decriminalised homosexuality in 2001, decades later than other parts of the EU, but still bars marriage and civil partnerships for same-sex couples.

"We want legal protection for same-sex couples, an easy legal procedure for transitioning, protection against hate speech and prejudice-based crimes," said Teodora Roseti, president of Romanian LGBTQ rights organisation ACCEPT and Pride's organiser.

In Bucharest, marchers danced and carried the rainbow flag 20 years after the first Pride parade was held, carrying banners such as "Love is the worst feeling you could hate", "Equality in love, equality in inheritance. Civil partnership for all".

Roughly 30,000 people attended the parade, ACCEPT estimated.

The march comes at a fraught moment in Central and Eastern Europe, where far right parties have gained ground. Poles held a similar parade on Saturday.

Hours before the Romanian march, a smaller anti-Pride protest took place, with participants demanding an Orthodox Christian nation and waving flags carrying the Celtic cross, a known far-right symbol.

In Romania, centrist Bucharest mayor Nicusor Dan ultimately won the presidential election against hard-right opposition leader George Simion, a strong opponent of LGBTQ rights.

ACCEPT and LGBTQ rights group Mozaiq warned of a rise in hate speech against the community during the election campaign, and their headquarters were defaced.

In neighbouring Hungary, parliament passed legislation earlier this year that de facto bans holding Pride marches.

(Reporting by Luiza Ilie. Additional reporting by Endre Hermann. Editing by Mark Potter)