A far-right group interrupted
Stockholm's annual Pride Parade on Saturday.
Several outlets reported that a fight
broke out when 10-15 men interrupted the parade with a banner which
read “Protect the nuclear family” next to an image of a crossed
out rainbow flag.
The far-right group Nordisk Ungdom, or
Nordic Youth, claimed credit for the disruption.
Nordisk Ungdom spokesperson Fredik
Hagberg gave a statement to Swedish daily Göteborgs-Posten.
“We were there to demonstrate against
Pride,” he
said. “We need a critical voice that demonstrates in the name
of the traditional family values. We think that they are threatened.
Pride encourages things that harm the traditional family values.
It's not about love any longer. I think you can have sex with
whoever you want. But Pride encourages a culture that is extremely
bad.”
The youth organization was formed by
the National Socialist Workers' Party in the early 1930s.
The AP reported that marching in this
year's parade was Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, who called the parade
“two hours of happiness and love.”
According to organizers, 45,000 people
participated in the 18th annual march, making it the
largest such event in the Nordic region.