Police in Dhaka, Bangladesh, today arrested four LGBT rights activists taking part in a traditional procession to celebrate the Bengali New Year.

The march, known as Mongol Shobhajatra, celebrates Bengali New Year’s Day, or Pohela Boishakh.

Roopbaan, an LGBT rights organization in Bangladesh, had canceled plans for a “Rainbow Rally” that would promote tolerance for LGBT people as part of Pohela Boishakh celebration.



The Rainbow Rally, or Rangdhanu Jatra, was previously held in 2014 and 2015, but this year its organizers encountered opposition from Islamists, including a Facebook page that called for opponents to beat up parade participants.

The threats targeted more than just the Rainbow Rally, but also all of the traditional Bengali New Year celebrations, in which people wear garlands of flowers and carry animal masks. Hard-line Muslim opponents called the celebrations “un-Islamic and Haram (forbidden).”

AFP reported that the arrests occurred after 60 people showed up at the planned site of the Rainbow Rally: