The Pride event in Ukraine’s second largest city went forward, despite the attempts made by the mayor of the city to block the march. In the end, LGBT activists had to organise the event on a small square near a metro station, where they could march back and forth according to several media reports. Not far from the Pride march, a group of anti-gay protesters gathered to make their voices be heard as well. However, they did more than just that: protesters reportedly threw eggs at the Pride participants. To separate the march from the counter protest, riot police gathered near.

By the end of the march, things escalated even further. In a park nearby, a group of conservative protesters clashed with the police and the violence increased. In the video below, shocking footage is shown of a Pride participant being beaten.

Media reports claim that 17 arrests have been made. Ukraine is known to be very conservative regarding LGBT-rights. While homosexuality has been legal since 1991, acceptance towards the LGBT+ community is still a tumultuous matter in the eastern European country. In 2012, the country passed a law banning ‘gay propaganda’. However, the law has never been put into effect.