The Catholic Church and Italy's powerful neo-fascist movement are both pressuring Italian authorities to deny permits for the event. The city of Rome has also just rescinded the funding it promised to the organizers in January of this year. The city of Rome has already rescinded the money it had promised and now threatens to deny the fundamental freedoms of assembly, association, and expression. Either it will defend democratic freedoms, or it will follow Austria along the road of capitulating to the far right.
Organizers hope to draw thousands of visitors.
The Catholic Church has consistently opposed the event, as it coincides with planned Jubilee celebrations. Rightist parties captured a majority of regional governments, including that of Lazio, the region around Rome. The center-left governing coalition survived, but with a fragile majority. On May 10, the commanding officer of the Roman police force Fernando Masone urged in a report to Interior Minister Enzo Bianco that the Pride rally be called off. In meetings with Pride organizers, police indicated they might give permits to neo-fascist rallies, but not to Pride.