Thousands attend Pride march in Paris

Thousands of people turned Paris streets into a rainbow coloured festival of fun and pride on Saturday, celebrating being together again after a year and a half of pandemic restrictions.

The march set off from the northern suburbs of Paris, carrying the message of LGBT rights beyond the centre of the French capital that is a bastion of the movement.

Dancing, arms in the air, amid pungent whiffs of sweet-smelling weed, marchers came determined to party.

Singing along to Madonna's classic anthem "Vogue", people danced even in one of the Metro trains that carried them to the rallying point.

With half of French adults now having had at least one vaccine jab, many no longer felt the need for face masks and partied with abandon.

Marchers also had other serious concerns, too, beyond letting down their multicoloured hair.

Many also expressed alarm about the roll back of rights in Hungary, Poland and elsewhere, and urged European leaders to take a stand with sanctions and other measures.

IMAGE: AP