Thousands of Ukrainians celebrate gay pride in Kiev

Video. Thousands of Ukrainians celebrate gay pride in Kiev

Thousands of people attended a gay pride parade in Ukraine’s capital amid tight security on Sunday.

Thousands of people attended a gay pride parade in Ukraine’s capital amid tight security on Sunday.

Participants carrying rainbow flags and signs reading “love wins” were heavily guarded by police officers.

Much of downtown Kiev was cordoned off and about 5,000 police officers were on duty for the gay pride march, which has traditionally been a focal point for attacks by ultranationalists.

Kiev police spokeswoman Oksana Blishchik wrote on Facebook that about 2,500 people attended.

The route of the parade was changed at the last minute in an attempt to head off clashes.

A counterdemonstration by a few hundred ultranationalists resulted in scuffles with police in which two officers were injured and six people arrested, Kiev police chief Andrei Krishchenko said later.

Kiev held its first major pride march last year after a pro-Western government that came to power after the 2014 revolution sanctioned such events.

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