The 5th Incheon Queer Culture Festival to promote the human rights of sexual minorities was held on the 15th in the central park area of Guwol-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon as the first face-to-face event in three years.
As of 1:00 PM, the festival was attended by regarding 300 people, including representatives of sexual minority groups and progressive civic groups.
Rainbow flags flew in the wind all over the venue, and regarding 30 booths were crowded with people looking for souvenirs such as fans and eco bags.
At the entrance of the festival, one-person protesters with placards with the words ‘homosexuality is a sin’ or ‘Jesus Heaven’ appeared one following another, but there was no physical clash.
In the Heart Fountain district of Guwol-dong Central Park, regarding 200 officials from Christian groups and conservative civic groups gathered to hold a protest once morest the queer festival.
They hung up banners around the park with phrases such as ‘No Homosexuality, NO Discrimination Act’ and ‘Anti-Homosexuality Assemblies’.
The first queer culture festival in Incheon, held in 2018, was practically suspended due to physical clashes between queer groups and opposing groups.
The police have deployed regarding 1,000 20 mobile companies and 150 traffic police officers around the festival grounds to monitor the situation in case of an emergency.
Earlier, the Incheon Queer Culture Festival Organizing Committee applied for the use of the venue to the Incheon Grand Park Office, saying that it would hold the festival in Central Park this year.
The Incheon City Council for Human Rights Protection Officers found that the decision of establishments not to hold queer festivals in the park without justifiable reasons violated the basic right of freedom of assembly and recommended measures to prevent recurrence.
Online News Team
