Last weekend, the LGBTQ+ community in Drogheda gathered for the town’s annual Pride festival, painting the streets in the colours of the rainbow. Prior to the celebrations, Drogheda Pride received a barrage of online abuse, which prompted organisers to respond by saying they “won’t stop fighting for equality” and have already scheduled an event for next year.
This year’s Drogheda Pride festival took place from July 18 to 21, kicking off with the raising of the Pride flag at Millmount. The four-day lineup of events organised by the team included live music performances, dance parties, film screenings, and family-friendly gatherings in celebration of love, diversity and inclusivity.
In the lead-up to the festival, Drogheda Pride were subject to a wave of online abuse, with one social media post receiving almost 500 hateful comments. As stated by Drogheda Pride organiser Peter Nugent, the team felt that such online abuse led to the community not feeling safe attending the events, especially considering that some of the comments and messages they received included threats of violence and arson.
“There were hundreds of negative comments on social media, with people calling the organisers ‘paedophiles’ and ‘groomers’ and saying they can’t believe we are ‘bringing this into our town’,” Nugent said.
“I received a specific message about the library event, about the Pride event, and about the parade, with threats to literally physically burn down the pride flags,” he added.
“There was a bit of fear, when we did ask people what went wrong this year, and they said a lot of people didn’t feel safe,” the organiser continued. “Between specific targets and online abuse, and the general anti-social behaviour on the town, which we know isn’t only aimed at LGBTQ+, but it would still put people off attending.”
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Despite this, the team is already planning next year’s Pride event, set to take place on June 7, 2025. Speaking to GCN, Nugent said: “The team At Drogheda Pride are very strong. We won’t give up fighting for equality for people who we care about. We are looking forward to next year’s event.”
Nugent spoke about the incredible support the team received from the community all over Ireland following the onslaught of hateful comments. “We have received lots of support from lots of wonderful teams of pride communities throughout Ireland and showing us their solidarity,” he said.
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