A festival to promote the values of the traditional families was held in the Great National Assembly Square of Chisinau on May 22. The event was organized by the Party of Socialists and a number of civil society organizations. These said the festival was staged in response to the march to support the LGBT community that took place in Chisinau the same day, IPN reports.

According to a press release of the Party of Socialists, the Family Festival was aimed at promoting the values of traditional families, strengthening the family as the basic social unit and educating the young generation in a moral-spiritual way. The event included a number of activities and contests intended for children and grownups.

The Party’s leader Igor Dodon said the festival was staged in protest at the attempts to mount the gay parade in Chisinau.

“We strongly oppose the values that the U.S., the European and other states try to impose on us. We are the friends of Europe and of the U.S., but we have our own traditions and values. We think the family is the foundation of society. We are against the registration of sexual minorities in Moldova,” stated Igor Dodon.

A solidarity march in support of the LGBT community entitled “Without fear” was mounted in Chisinau on May 22. This was interrupted after a group of priests and parishioners appeared in the way of the marchers. To avoid incidents and clashes, the marchers were taken away by police buses.