Thousands of queer South Africans marched in Johannesburg Pride Saturday in defiance of a terror warning issued by the US Embassy. They took to the streets under the slogan We Will March.
Johannesburg Pride returned after a two-year break during the COVID pandemic. Prior to the parade, the US Embassy issued a warning of a potential terror attack on Sandton, the upmarket district where the parade takes place.
#WEWILLMARCH
However, after assessing the situation, Johannesburg Pride issued a defiant statement: We Will March.
“We urge you to remember the essence of why Pride began.
“It was, for all intents and purposes, a protest action. We as a continent have a very marginalised LGBTQ+ community. We live under constant attack, and there is a constant fear of being arrested in 33 of 54 countries…
“Despite our constitutional rights, we are marginalised in South Africa…
“It is critical for us to occupy the space we intend to occupy on October 29, 2022, that we take to the streets and that we assert our visibility…”
#WeWillMarch 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈❤️ See you in Sandton on Saturday @JhbPride pic.twitter.com/03QHaGbO3K
— Donald Nkomo 🏳️🌈 (@DonaldNkomo) October 27, 2022
The parade proceeded under heavy security.
Marchers defiantly posted photos of the event tagged #SandtonTerrorAttack. Thabang Todd tweeted, “We are here standing our ground.”
#SandtonTerrorAttack #Sandton We are here standing our ground. #JhbPride pic.twitter.com/bvHVr1XM2f
— HRH Thabang Trodd (@TroddAwesome) October 29, 2022
Lethu Shange also ignored the potential danger, tweeting, “We are here. We are queer. #wewillmarch.”
We are here. We are queer. #wewillmarch #JhbPride #pride pic.twitter.com/n9EJOQACnP
— uDokotela wamaRainbow🏳️🌈👩🏾⚕️ (@lethu_shange) October 29, 2022
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