Images are emerging on social media from Cuba's capital, where the Havana LGBTIQ+ community took to the streets on the second weekend of May.
Having run annually since 2007, Havana's Pride Parade was cancelled by authorities this year due to ongoing "international and regional tensions". Still, an estimated 100 activists gathered, marching uninterrupted for close to a kilometre before police intervened and arrested several demonstrators.
“We managed to organise this march ourselves," 21-year old Daniel Triana told The Guardian.
"That’s a massive advance because all the gay rights marches we’ve had up until now in Cuba have been organised by institutions.”
Videos posted to Twitter showed same-sex couples defiantly kissing as law enforcement officers carried participants from the crowd.
"Alternative gay pride march in Havana today went off peacefully until it reached Malecon, and there the police decided it could go no further," one Twitter user wrote.
"I saw 3 arrested but maybe 5 or more. As yet to hear coherent explanation from state as to why Gay Pride march cancelled in first place."
