REUTERS

Thousands marched through central Warsaw on Saturday in an "Equality Parade" demanding an end to discrimination against the LGBT community, amid what campaigners say has been a rising tide of homophobia in Poland in recent years.

LGBT rights have become a central part of a wider struggle in the country between liberals, who stress the need for a more tolerant and inclusive society, and religious conservatives, who denounce what they say is an attempt to subvert traditional values in the predominantly Catholic nation.

In a sea of rainbow flags, the symbol of the LGBT community, marchers gathered outside the towering neo-Gothic Palace of Culture in central Warsaw, as a DJ played dance music from a stage before the start of the march.

"The Equality Parade is a celebration of LGBT people and all those who have to fight for their rights," said 22-year-old restaurant worker Sylwester Cimochowski.