TALLINN - Organizers of the 2007 Tallinn Pride gay parade said they were hoping to avoid a repeat of last year's violence-marred march.
About 500 people are expected to take part in the parade, which will wind through Tallinn's Old Town from 3 p.m. on Aug. 11.
Tallinn Pride coordinator Lisette Kampus said she hoped police will take a more active role this time in protecting participants. In 2006 marchers were pelted with stones and eggs, and one Spanish man was treated in hospital after being physically assaulted.
Kampus said parade organizers have hired security guards for each parade since 2004.
"The police here don't have an obligation to protect the freedom of assembly, so we have hired a security company. We are concerned about safety issues. We don't want this to be unpleasant for anybody, the participants or the citizens who happen to pass by," Kampus said.
Following last year's problems, Kampus said she expected more help from authorities. However she said the planning process was instead "remarkably un-smooth."
"I really want to believe that this hassle has been put on the organizers of other public events too, and it's not a question of tolerance or attitude toward Pride events," she said.
The parade is the culmination of a week of activities for members of the gay community. Several international visitors will travel to Tallinn to take part, including members of the European and Finnish parliaments.
Recent years have seen the Baltics develop a poor track record for gay rights and tolerance, with several incidents in Latvia garnering international criticism.
Kampus said she believed people in the Baltics were largely accepting, but were overshadowed by a vocal minority.
"It's not fair to say they aren't gay-friendly, they are. The objectors are a small minority who is really radically against gay issues, and they have a very loud voice.
What differs us from Western Europe is that, there, society has made it clear that those types of attitudes are not okay. In the Baltics, nobody is reacting against these negative opinions."
She said Estonia was further ahead than Latvia and Lithuania, which have stronger religious cultures.
"Estonia doesn't have any religious background. This keeps the chance to debate these topics open. In Lithuania or Latvia, it's harder to start any kind of discussion."
Police gave official permission to hold the parade after organizers slightly altered the planned march route.
