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A reader has contacted Newry.ie to share some of their experiences following the Newry Pride festivities on Saturday 22 August. The Newry Pride Parade was held around lunchtime followed by an open-air concert and then many venues held events well into the night.
The reader and their friends left a city bar around 2am and made their way up Monaghan street towards the bus station with their pride flag in hand.
The reader explains "It read ‘born this way’ a reference to the song.
"The abuse and threats I received absolutely horrified me, a town I thought was accepting and respectful. I had the privilege of having several cars drive round in circles of the town just to hurl abuse out the window."
The reader continued: "Words such as “faggots” and “pedo”. At one stage outside a coffee shop near the bus station a man stopped his car dead in the street and ran towards me.
"When I saw him I asked “what the hell are you doing?” He froze and ran back to his car. Others gave us the middle finger and shouted abuse from across the street."
Our reader has pointed out that they have never feared for their safety in Newry but Saturday night "definitely came close to it".
