Europe's Pride Parades Resume

Hundreds of thousands of people lined Amsterdam's canals on Saturday to watch the city's canal boat parade, the highlight of an annual Pride festival that this year was held a week after a deadly attack on a Pride event in Berlin. Openly gay Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten waved to crowds as he sailed in a small boat in the colorfully decorated parade of 80 vessels as techno music pumped from speakers along the route, the AP reports. The first Dutch prime minister to ever take part in the boat parade, Jetten said in a video posted on X that the event was more important than ever because worldwide the freedom and security of the LGBTQ+ community "is under pressure with new discriminatory legislation, lack of safety on the street or last week's terrible attack in Berlin."

Motorboats carrying police officers cruised the canals, and a helicopter hovered overhead as Saturday's parade began. The Berlin attack also cast a shadow Saturday over Hamburg's Pride parade, one of Germany's biggest, where increased security was noticeable as dozens of trucks made their way through the nation's second-biggest city. Police and organizers said about 300,000 attended, compared with about 260,000 people last year, German news agency dpa reported. Hamburg's police chief said earlier this week that roughly twice as many officers as last year would protect the event. The boat parade is the traditional highlight of Amsterdam's Pride. This year it coincides with a World Pride celebration that also is being hosted by the Dutch capital.

Rod Lugtenburg, 55, of Toronto, said he came to Amsterdam for World Pride. He stood on the city's famous Skinny Bridge wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with a rainbow maple leaf as the boats passed. "For me, it's about acceptance, being able to be who you are," he said. "I have Dutch heritage, and I have always loved the fact that the Dutch have been leading the way" in acceptance and rights for the LGBTQ+ community. "And Canada is right behind them, so I'm very proud." Boats taking part in the parade included vessels representing the Dutch government ministries, the military and police as well as LGBTQ+ organizations and clubs.