Diana Șoșoacă, at the head of the “March of Normality” from Bucharest. Participants carried crosses, icons and placards with anti-LGBT messages. Bucharest Pride is also coming to the capital
Several hundred people participated on Saturday, in Bucharest, in the “March of Normality”, a demonstration organized by the SOS Romania party and the New Right, according to News.ro and Mediafax. At the head of the participants was the leader of SOS Romania, Diana Șoșoacă, and Dan Diaconescu also participated in the event. Also on Saturday, from 17:00, the Bucharest Pride march is scheduled in the Capital.
Participants carried flags, icons and crosses and displayed signs with messages against same-sex marriage and adoption.
They gathered starting at 10:30 a.m. in Piața Victoriei. The route included Victoriei Square – Roman Square – University – Unirii Square – Patriarhiei Hill.
In the speech given at the beginning of the march, Diana Șoșoacă referred to the Bucharest Pride parade as the “immorality march”.
“There is a march of immorality, of the so-called LGBTQ+. Our message is that we don't hate them, but they have to straighten up. We have parents here whom I thank from the bottom of my heart for coming. I also want to thank the Romanian Patriarchate for the fact that it issued a statement in which it spoke against the LGBT march and we were asked not to swear at them because they are also God's children, but who have gone astray. So we pray The Holy Fathers should take care of this country, take care of its children and try to bring them on the right path”, said Diana Şoşoacă.
“We are Christian people”
Demonstrators chanted slogans such as “We are Christian people”, “They are our children” and “For the children”, and carried placards with messages such as “We are normality” or “Stop homosexual partnerships, marriages, adoptions”.
Diana Șoșoacă broadcasted live on Facebook during the demonstration, in a live broadcast of over four hours.
In the days leading up to the demonstration, Diana Șoșoacă also criticized the joint statement of several embassies that expressed their support for Bucharest Pride, arguing that it represents an interference in Romania's internal affairs. The leader of SOS Romania asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to remind diplomatic missions of the obligation not to intervene in internal debates.
“It is unacceptable for accredited diplomatic missions in Romania to carry out public campaigns promoting certain social and ideological agendas, while ignoring the right of the majority of citizens to preserve their cultural, religious and national identity. The role of an embassy is to develop bilateral relations between states, not to influence the social and moral policies of the host country,” she said.
At the beginning of this week, the SOS Romania Party sent on Facebook: “2026 – The Year of the Family. Come with the whole family! Bring a cross or an icon each! God is with us!”.
Bucharest Pride is scheduled to start at 17:00
The Bucharest Pride march is scheduled to start on Saturday, at 5:00 p.m., on Calea Victoriei and continue towards Bulevardul Naționile Unite, ending with a concert in Izvor Park.
Organizers from the ACCEPT Association estimate the participation of more than 30,000 people and say that this year's edition is dedicated to demands for the legal recognition of all families, including those formed by people of the same sex, the introduction of civil partnerships, the simplification of legal gender recognition procedures for transgender people, access to adapted medical services and stronger measures against discrimination and hate speech.
Before the two demonstrations, the Romanian Patriarchate expressed its “pastoral concern” regarding the organization, on Saturday, of the Bucharest Pride parade and claims that such public demonstrations “may lead to the accentuation of the confusion of spiritual values in a society already affected by demographic decline and social instability”. BOR urged believers to “cultivate the values of the Christian faith in the family.”
At the same time, “out of concrete pastoral concern”, the Romanian Patriarchy emphasized that the response of Orthodox Christians must be one enlightened by peace, prayer and respect for the dignity of each person.
“We do not support or encourage any form of offensive speech, denigration or violence, which are contrary to the Gospel of Christ's love. In the face of current challenges, we urge the clergy and the lay faithful to intensify prayer and cultivate the values of the Christian faith in the family, in the parish and in society,” the Romanian Patriarchate also transmitted.
