Amsterdam's Pride parade celebrations

3/8/2025 5:59

Around 80 colorful pride

boats sailed through Amsterdam’s World Heritage canals on

Saturday in the finale of a week-long celebration in the city

that stood in stark contrast to recent crackdowns on LGBTQ+

rights in fellow EU member state Hungary.



While the flotilla is not political, attendees used the

occasion to criticise conflicts or world leaders for their

stance on LGBTQ+ rights.



Thehany Gilmore, a 43-year-old Dutch-Caribbean dressed in a

leather outfit with a whip, said banning of the Budapest pride

parade "is a form of oppression."



"People everywhere should have their own pride to be able to

represent who they are," she said.



Palestinian flags were spotted among the crowd of revelers,

and Dutch police arrested four activists who had jumped in the

water to vandalize the Booking.com boat in protest over its

listings in settlements in Israeli-occupied territories.



Others criticized U.S. President Donald Trump, whose

administration implemented anti-trans policies and cut funding

for international aid programs, dealing a setback to HIV

prevention efforts in Africa.



Some waved a hybrid U.S./Pride flag, while one boat declared

itself a 'Trump-Free Pride Boat' with signs reading 'Trans

Rights Are Human Rights.' Another featured mock graveyards and

the message 'Trump's Actions Kill. Love Saves Lives,'

highlighting fears over U.S. AIDS funding cuts.



"Amsterdam Pride is... about expressing yourself, showing

who you are, being grateful for the freedom that we have in

Europe. The U.S. really needs to reinvent itself... be more open

about people," 40-year-old Michael Jacobs, who hails from Dutch

port city Rotterdam, said.



"Don't judge people for who they are. Just love each other."