Activists said the annual event was vital for young gay people

Although a number of protesters turned up, the parade passed off peacefully.

A small number of protesters gathered outside the City Hall a short time before Saturday's parade began.

Jonathan Larner, from the group, said they wanted to see the procession banned from taking place in future.

"There is no parity of esteem with the treatment of other parades," he said.

"We believe that the offensive nature of this parade, what it promotes, and the display we are going to see, justifies the banning of this parade."

But the parade, now in its 14th year, went ahead.

Activists said the annual event was vital for young gay people.

A small number of protesters gathered outside the City Hall

PA MagLochlainn, of the Northern Ireland Gay Rights Association, said: "A lot more people are coming out because they see our visibility and that we can walk the streets here.

"That gives these young, shy people - who have no other sorts of information - the courage to say who they are."