Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
London 2012 World LGBT Pride
Dear friends and neighbours
You may or may not be aware that alongside the Jubilee and the Olympics this year, London also planned to hold LGBT World Pride. This is a gay Pride event that takes place every five years or so but is covered globally and was going to draw many thousands of people to our wonderful city to celebrate the great diversity of London.
Within the last two days (just a week before the event), Pride London, the organisers, have had to cancel the event (practically) claiming insufficient funds. While this is a factor, it is becoming increasingly clear that Pride London had sufficient funds but not sufficient ready cash up front to pay for policing. In this context, the GLA, Westminster Council and the Mayor's Office have made Pride London sign a commissioner's order for the event to go ahead.
There will now be no street parties in Soho and Central London. There will be no extraordinary licenses for any businesses to play music outside or allow customers to drink in the street. There will be no floats or music or entertainment during the Parade, which is now a solemn procession.
This is effectively a national embarrassment and an embarrassment for London. It is effectively the same as cancelling Notting Hill Carnival.
Please, if you support us, join our Facebook Campaign (currently around 1,000 members and growing) to encourage the Mayor to step in and save this, the last Central London Carnival only three weeks before the Olympics):
http://www.facebook.com/events/417869424930932/
Thank you in advance for any support.
Alex
Tags for Forum Posts: lgbt
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by pamish on
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Best not to say Pride is cancelled - it will be simplified to being a march, or parade if you prefer. Back to the days of a carnival-type march without big lorries, and no fenced-off endings in the park (except they fizzed out a few years ago). Cancelling the organised street parties does mean there will be tens of thousands of people left swirling around with nowhere to go, that sounds very likely to end in chaos.
Pride London is happening, first Saturday in July, as every year since 1971. 11am start will lose thousands though, especially those who come in from a long way off.
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Permalink Reply by John D on
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Crouch End parade is also 1st Saturday in July starting 2.30 at Alexandra Palace - and it's nearer
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Permalink Reply by L F T Snowflake on
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One would hope that the individual groups will still march. in many respects, its the individual groups that usually put on the best displays. To me, its probably the most photogenic event all year and as I say, the best pics usually come from individuals or groups who go out of their way to dress for the occasion. It will be very interesting to see what happens to everyone after the march. Perhaps we should knock up a Harringay Banner and march as a group!
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Permalink Reply by byl999 on
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Oh no really?? People are traveling in from other countries for this !!!! Shame on them.
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Permalink Reply by Alex Harringay on
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For those who are interested in the detail, Peter Tatchell has released a press release that seems to show what has happened and this is on his foundation website.
As for Saturday, the Parade (now a march) is going ahead at 11am.I am pleased to say we have secured agreement for a public contingent at the Purple Section (Baker Street, near York Street) so anyone who wants to march with us is welcome to do so.
Please come and join us and bring your friends and family and make it a wonderful day!
Alex
Xx
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So, should we all nip down to Rob Tao and get him to knock us up some pink t-shirts with the old style Harringay logo on them?
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That's a great idea!!! Unfortunately I don't have any resources, so am focusing on getting more public participation in the march at the moment, but that's all the strength I can muster at the moment!!!
Alex
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And I don't have the time either, so basically, will see you at Baker Street. Would wear the trademark Panama, but looks like the waterproofs would be a better bet!
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Great :))) It does doesn't it :)) The sun will still shine! X
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I'm a bit at a loss as to why people would not go to Pride, just because there are no floats. Of course mobility is an issue for some and they won't be able to come as the accessible transport has been cancelled - a shameful decision. It has now been agreed that veterans from 1972 will lead the parade, so that will set the pace. I hope that the cuts will lead to an easing of the over-heavy stewarding that mars the march for me - and that the continuous barricade along the route will be dropped (how much does that cost?), thus allowing people to join the march and leave it as they choose. The idea that there will be a special purple Random People section at the back is just weird, do we all have to choose a 'section' to join and stay in it? Am I getting old?
P Tatchells comments are here with some of the story.
I don't get why starting at 11am not 1pm will ease the possible problems. Will everyone be too shattered from getting there 2 hours earlier, make them all subdued? I bet that those who have booked transport to arrive at 1pm will just arrive then anyway, leading to an interesting melee. And the tens of thousands of end-of march random bodies looking for somewhere to go will all head for Soho anyway - are they going to be kettled? Are they looking for Stonewall 2012?
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A message from the police today, which I have to say have been brilliant in spite of everyone else. suggests that it's to do with change of shifts from 11-1pm. Because all 'events' in Soho have been cancelled, they need to help with crowd control and public order around central london when the march is finished and it is likely to be easier if we start earlier.
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Permalink Reply by matthew cuthbert on
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(A bit late but) I cant believe it, In Sydney the Mardi Gras brings millions to Sydney's local economy, and is a great success, it should have been a feather in the cap of the London Cultural Olympiad, I've enjoyed the Gay Pride events held at Finsbury Park and Clapham in the past, and they were very successful events, (are they trying to stamp out all memory of Ken?, as it may not have happened without his support, (in Finbury park anyway.)
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