RIGA, June 13 (LETA) - Several thousand people took part in the Riga Pride March for Freedom in the city center on Saturday, LETA observed.

Riga Mayor Viesturs Kleinbergs (Progressives) walked in front of the march, which moved along Krisjana Valdemara Street.

Participants walked to music played by DJs on the side of the streets, and on Brivibas Street, the marchers sang traditional Midsummer songs and other folk songs.

Many marchers carried rainbow flags, including a large rainbow flag dozens of meters long, as well as other flags of the LGBTQ+ community.

Participants also used banners with slogans such as "Be visible!", "We are and will be there!", "Trans and non-binary children deserve a future", "Diverse is divine", "Human rights are not a menu", "Stay homo", "For same-sex marriage!", and others.

Banners of some companies and organizations, such as Caffeine, Circle K Latvija, the Progressives party, and Russian Voice for Latvia, were also visible in the crowd.

A group carrying Palestinian and Israeli flags and chanting the slogan "Queers for Palestine!" also took part in the march.

In Esplanade Park, where the march started, and later along the route, a number of protesters had arrived with placards reading "Sin will ruin you", "Jesus saves you from hell", "Turn away from your sins", "Don't follow the crowd, follow Jesus", "For traditional families", and others.

As LETA observed, many participants of the Pride march took photos with the protesters, placing their placards and flags next to the protesters' placards.

The march was monitored by officers of the State Police and Municipal Police. During the march, Valdemara, Stabu and Brivibas Streets, as well as the intersecting streets, were closed to traffic.

After 2:00 p.m., the Pride march ended in Esplanade Park, where the Riga Pride program is expected to officially close today.

According to law enforcement authorities' estimates, around 4,000 people joined the Pride march in Riga. The State Police informed LETA that the march took place peacefully, with no significant incidents recorded during the evening.

The closing event in Esplanade Park will feature performances by the Queer Choir, Niklass, the Queer Folklore Group, Legzdina, Justs and Krisy, Zelma and Emilija. The event will combine music, folklore, and performing arts.

This year's Riga Pride has been running in the Latvian capital since June 1. For two weeks, the Kanepe Culture Centre has been hosting the Pride House, a cultural and conversation space with concerts, discussions and events, and its program will continue until the weekend.

Organizers of the event note that the 20th Riga Pride has become an important civil society and human rights event in Latvia and a platform to talk about dignity, equality, and belonging.