Thousands march in Paris' first LGBT pride since lockdown

Participants holding rainbow flags and placards sit on a monument during the traditional LGBTQ Pride march, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, on the Republic Square in Paris, France June 26, 2021. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier

PARIS (Reuters) - An LGBT Pride march drew thousands of people to the streets of Paris on Saturday, with many using the first event of its kind since the coronavirus pandemic to denounce the situation in Hungary.

Marchers, who chanted slogans such as "Gay rights are human rights!", made their way in a joyful atmosphere from Pantin on the outskirts of Paris to Place de la Republique on the city's Right Bank, amid rainbow flags and colourful placards.

Asked about the situation in Hungary, where a new law bans the distribution of material in schools deemed to promote homosexuality or gender change, one marcher said it was unacceptable.

"No country in the world, no part of the world should criminalise homosexuality. Its representation shouldn't be banned, it's absurd," Marc Pauli, 58, told Reuters TV.

More than 200 LGBT rights marches were postponed or cancelled due to the pandemic last year, according to the European Pride Organisers Association.

(Reporting by Ardee Napolitano; writing by Michel Rose and Christina Fincher)