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The Queer Cultural Festival Pride Parade will proceed lawfully June 28 after Judge Ban Jeongu ruled against the ban imposed by the Seoul Metropolitan Police.

“As a rule, the banning of an assembly can only be permitted when an apparent and direct threat towards public law and order exists,” Judge Ban said during the ruling in Seoul Administrative Court on Tuesday.

“The banning of an assembly is a last resort that can be considered only after all other options of limiting the freedom of the assembly. In other words, assigning conditions while permitting the assembly have been exhausted.”

Police imposed the ban after the anti-gay Love Your Country, Love Your Children Movement lined up outside the Seoul police station weeks in advance to submit multiple applications for all of the public space to prevent the LGBT group from being able to submit their application for the pride parade.

They cited traffic disruptions as one reason for the ban, something caused by non-affirming Christian protests during the 2014 pride parade.

Judge Ban said the court considered that the pride parade started in 2000 and had been held annually.

“The festival’s organizing committee has been planning the queer parade for a considerably long time, the loss that the festival’s organizing committee would face if the effectiveness of the parade prohibition notice were to be maintained would fall under a loss that would be difficult to recover from.”

The Queer Cultural Festival’s Chairman Myeong Jin Kang said, in a press release, that this ruling sided with democratic principles.

“This court’s decision in relation to the police’s unjust notice prohibiting assembly is important,” he said. “Within a democratic country, built on civil society, the guarantee that society can use their voice has a deep meaning.”

Jang Seo-yeon, Chairwoman of the committee of social minority human rights and a lawyer representing the gay cultural festival organizers said the judge upheld the Constitution.

“[The Court’s ruling] was a corollary to the Constitution that bans permits on assemblies and protests, and Assembly and Protest Law that strictly limits prohibiting assemblies and protests prior to its occurrence, and it was a meaningful decision of the court that respects sexual minorities’ freedom of assembly and protest and rights to equality.”

This ruling came only days after non-affirming Christians tried to bolster the Queer Cultural Festival Opening Ceremony by blocking truck access to the event, handing out vitriol, holding placards filled with anti-homosexual messages, and screaming homophobic speeches through sound systems.

The pride parade will go ahead 11am, Sunday June 28 commencing at the Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall.

**Press Release translated by Doyun Lee.