5,000 march in first Prague gay day parade; Jimmy Somerville too sick to perform

About 5,000 people (guarded by 300 police) marched in Prague's first gay day parade Sunday. Controversy accompanied the preparations, as Petr Hajek, an aide toCzech President Vaclav Klaus, had criticized Prague's mayor for supporting a festival of "deviant fellow citizens."

Photo: france24.com

This resulted in the ambassadors of Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States issuing a joint statement of support for the event.

Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda, a former gynecologist and obstetrician, stated his belief in the value of tolerance and was firm in his support for the festival.

In a letter dated 8/11/11, Gunther Walker of Solar Management LTD wrote to Prague Pride 2011 to confirm that "Jimmy [Somerville] has been taken ill and will therefore not be able to come to Prague and perform at Pride on Saturday."