According to the chairman of the event organization, Helsinki Pride is proceeding as planned Panu Mäenpää.
He commented on Monday on Yle TV’s breakfast program, adding that security plans will be reviewed with the authorities from Monday.
Mäenpää said the organizers and staff discussed the issue on Saturday in the center of Oslo after an attack in the early morning.
A 42-year-old Norwegian man was arrested and charged with murder, attempted murder and terrorist acts. Norwegian police described it "the act of Islamist terrorism" adding at the same time that the suspect has had "mental health challenges".
Oslo Pride canceled the parade planned for Saturday due to the attack, but according to Mäenpää, the organizers of Helsinki Pride considered it important to continue as planned.
"If we return now, we will give power to the hatred shown by the act of terrorism. It was therefore felt that it is now more important than ever for our voice to be heard loud and clear," Mäenpää said.
Helsinki Pride is a human rights and cultural event that aims to protect the equality of all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Pride Week is celebrated from June 27 to July 3, while Pride Month began on June 1st.
A total of over a hundred events are planned, including lectures, seminars and exhibitions. The culmination is Saturday’s parade, which was attended by more than 100,000 people each year before the Covid pandemic.
Jenni Haukiowife of the president Sauli Niinistöis in the footsteps of the Prime Minister as the matron of this year’s event Sanna Marin (SDP), which served in the role in 2020.
Source: The Nordic Page