"I expect the number of participants to match the one we had last time in 2019, i.e., 10,000 people. (...) The year 2019 in Vilnius showed that marches without incidents are possible, and I hope this year will be the same," Vladimir Simonko, the leader of the Lithuanian Gay League (LGL), told BNS.
The march in favor of the rights of LGBTIQ people will crown a week-long festival, and its start will be announced by the "Rainbow Bus" that will be driving around the Lithuanian capital on Tuesday as community representatives will visit Baltic Pride supporters and friends, such as the Norwegian and German embassies and Vilnius City Hall.
The motto of this year's Baltic Pride is "March for Equality and Peace".
"it will be a leitmotif that we stand in solidarity with our neighbors and with our LGBT community in Ukraine," Simonko said.
Ramunas Matonis, the spokesman for the Lithuanian Police Department, told BNS officers were currently monitoring cyberspace, social media and analyzing other information.
"A plan for ensuring public order is being prepared, and we are in dialogue with the event's organizers. The police are ready to ensure public order and expect understanding from participants and members of the audience," he said.
The last Baltic Pride was held in central Vilnius in 2019, and the police then recorded no incidents.