Pride Wave, six marches today in Modena, Palermo, Rome, Rovigo, Treviso, and Varese. Piazzoni (Arcigay): "Institutional hatred moves in concert with social hatred, but we won't let ourselves be surrounded."“
June 20, 2026 It's another busy day for Onda Pride 2026, the large-scale demonstration in support of LGBTQIA+ rights organized by Arcigay and other local and national associations, with six marches today filling the squares of Modena, Palermo, Rome, Rovigo, Treviso, and Varese. Modena Pride is concentrated in the former Macello area between Via IV Novembre and Via Padre Candido, where the rally is scheduled for 2:30 pm;
Rovigo Pride meets at 4 pm in Piazzale Cervi; Rome Pride departs at 3 pm from Piazza della Repubblica; Palermo Pride meets at 4 pm in Via Roma; in Treviso, the Pride rally is at 3 pm at the Palla di Ferro on Via Roma, in front of the central station, while Varese Pride is scheduled for 4 pm in Piazza Monte Grappa.
“What's happening in Modena, where the Pride was the target of a wave of hatred that lasted days, and in Rovigo, where the demonstration faced marked hostility from the mayor, which even led to administrative obstruction, paints a disturbing picture of Italy in 2026: institutional hatred moves in concert with all other forms of hatred. On the one hand, death threats on social media against the organizers of the Modena Pride; on the other, a mayor who calls the Pride "exhibitionism" and a "circus," who speaks of "tribal behavior," and who says she is "forced to endure" what is in reality nothing more than a democratic demonstration. A truly eloquent intolerance. It's no coincidence that these two worlds are traveling on the same track. The hatred that originates in the halls of power legitimizes and fuels what then spills over into the streets and onto social media. The mayor of Rovigo calls it a "provocation." "Ideological," and we find the same language in anonymous comments against the LGBTQIA+ community in Modena. But we won't let ourselves be surrounded: today we are in six Italian squares to demonstrate that the rainbow wave is stronger than any attempt at isolation. Pride isn't exhibitionism, it's resistance; it's not division, it's community; it's not a provocation, it's the tenacious and unwavering demand for rights that have not yet been achieved in this country," concludes Piazzoni.
