Source: UK Gay News
CHISINAU, Moldova -- Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca has, once again, banned the Gay Pride parade in the Moldovan capital.  The parade, part of a week-long "Rainbow over the Dniester" observance is scheduled to take place on Sunday, May 10, UK Gay News reports.

But Pride organisers, GenderDoc-M, say that the mayor has no power to ban the planned march.

According to the new Moldovan law on public demonstrations, local authorities have no right to prohibit such an event, GenderDoc-M says.

If the authorities have proof that there could be serious trouble at an event like Gay Pride march, then it could be banned only through a decision of a court of law.

The Pride is the seventh to be organized, but in previous years the parade has also been banned by the authorities.

“During three previous consecutive years, public authorities have banned the public manifestations on various pretexts,” said a spokesperson for GenderDoc-M earlier this week.

On Tuesday, Pride organizers expressed confidence that they would be able to stage the planned parade.

"This year after we applied to the City Hall to inform the authorities about planned public manifestation within the Pride, we got the information, which gave us hope.

"The representative of the City Hall informed us that now according to the new law 'About public manifestations' we have right to organize public manifestation in the format we indicated and for this we do not need permission of the authorities," a GenderDoc-M spokesman said Tuesday.

But still, the ban was issued from the mayor's office.

“The decision [by the mayor] has no legal value.” GenderDoc-M said in a statement Saturday.

The city government has again banned a peaceful LGBT demonstrations in Chisinau despite pressure and criticism of the Council of Europe, European Union and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Last weekend, GenderDoc-M and gay advocates celebrated what they considered an uncommon victory in the capital city as they managed to stage two protests despite an earlier ban from the city government.

A group of activists last weekend marched to Chisinau's Monument to the Victims of Repression. They were met by the police who prevented the laying of flowers at the monument. Instead, the participants laid their flowers at the feet of the police before tactfully withdrawing, UK Gay News reported.

As part of the week-long Pride observance, activists also staged a protest last week in front of the City Hall against the decision of the authorities to ban a public event in the city center.

The protest demonstration lasted about 15 minutes, with about 20 people from GenderDoc-M and partner organizations participating. These included a Member of the European Parliament, Maria Carlshamre and her her assistants, who had come to Moldova specially to support the Pride organizers.

"The protest demonstration went off successfully and was protected by the police," Boris Balanetkii, the director of GenderDoc-M, reported.  "About 30 people took part in a counter-demonstration, mainly young people from an extremist organization."

The protest had originally been planned as a celebration, but took on a different character after the city government banned public observances staged by the advocacy group.

Full article: Chisinau Mayor Bans Gay Pride on Eve of Parade | UK Gay News
Victory Claimed by Gays in Moldova at Chisinau ‘Pride’ | UK Gay News
Chisinau Authorities OK Gay Pride Parade for First Time | UK Gay News