Intersectionality and solidarity need to be consistent – Helsinki Pride must stand behind its values in practice

Image: Hannu Häkkinen

Helsinki Pride has done important work in the field of Rainbow Rights. Helsinki Pride says it is committed to human rights and respect for diversity – principles according to which “we do not compromise on human rights”.

Unfortunately, these principles are not fully realized in practice. Helsinki Pride has been slow to respond to the occupation, colonialism, and genocide experienced by Palestinians, just as it was previously slow to critically examine whiteness and privilege.

We are glad that Helsinki Pride signed the statement in June 2025 “Finnish decision-makers must do everything to stop the genocide in Gaza”. In addition, during Pride Week 2025, Helsinki Pride organized an event with Sumud – the Finnish Palestine Network, and Helsinki Pride has demanded that Israel should be excluded from Eurovision. We are also grateful that Sumud has been offered a free block in the Helsinki Pride parade since 2024.

However, we hope that Helsinki Pride would pay more attention to its own activities. A concrete way Helsinki Pride could demonstrate support for Palestinian rights would be to commit to the cultural boycott This is what Palestinian civil society and Palestinian rainbow organizations are asking for.

Helsinki Pride – the largest human rights event in Finland – has not officially joined the cultural boycott, unlike, for example, the Love & Anarchy International Film Festival and the Finnish Museum of Photography. The partners of Helsinki Pride in 2025 did not include any entities subject to the cultural boycott, so adopting the boycott would not even require Pride to end any current partnerships – only the same scrutiny going forward. Committing to the cultural boycott would be a clear message that Pride refuses to serve as a platform for pinkwashing.*

We are disappointed that the Helsinki Pride’s board has not been willing to join the boycott. When we have discussed the matter with them, the board representatives have cited as a reason that they focus primarily on advancing the rights of sexual and gender minorities, even though they do commit to intersectionality. Fear of losing sponsors and responding to potential criticism has also been strongly present in the discussions.

Public commitment to avoiding cooperation with the Israeli state and its supported institutions while occupation, apartheid, and genocide continue is essential – not only to support the Palestinian people, but also to defend human rights globally. Silence normalizes oppression everywhere. Failure to commit to the cultural boycott makes Pride spaces less safe for many BIPOC and Palestinian queer people. When a community asks for concrete action in the name of safety and solidarity, symbolic support alone is not enough.

It is a shame if Helsinki Pride forgets the original spirit of the Pride movement, which was born from grassroots resistance. The movement’s pioneers Rivera and Johnson did not settle for symbolic actions – they went directly against the structures of oppression and created concrete support for marginalized people. They founded, for example, the STAR organization, which provided shelter and housing for homeless queer youth and trans women. They remind us that Pride cannot be merely a celebration – it must also be a political act.

Therefore, we the undersigned ask that Helsinki Pride join the cultural boycott. Solidarity cannot be limited to words – it must show in actions, especially in difficult times. In a world where the rights of minorities are constantly under threat, we cannot practice selective solidarity. If we want to defend human rights, we must do so consistently – for everyone and always.

Fiskars Pride is leading the way – on 23rd of April 2026 it became the first Pride event to commit to the cultural boycott and declare itself an Apartheid Free Zone. We invite Helsinki Pride and other Pride communities to follow in Fiskars Pride’s footsteps.

Sumud offers free consultation for those interested in joining the cultural boycott. Sumud is also still willing to discuss the matter with Helsinki Pride.

*Pinkwashing refers to the practice of companies or states presenting themselves as supporters of rainbow rights in order to soften or conceal other activities. Israel is known to use pinkwashing to justify settler colonialism, apartheid, and the associated violations of Palestinian human rights.

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Why BDS?

Palestinian civil society is asking the international community for one thing: boycotts, divestments, and sanctions against Israel and those supporting its apartheid regime. The BDS movement, based on the Palestinian BDS Call issued in 2005, has become the most significant counterforce to Israel’s apartheid globally. Read more about boycotts on Sumud’s website.

Why Pride?

Helsinki Pride is the largest human rights event in Finland. Pride also says it is committed to intersectionality, which means committing to the rights of every oppressed group of people. It should listen to the voice of the Palestinian civil society.