Paraguay: Police back down on Pope event placard ban

Police initially said banners calling for gay marriage and abortion rights were forbidden

Paraguay's national police force has backed down over controversial restrictions it imposed on banners brought to public events attended by Pope Francis.

The Pope is due to arrive in Paraguay on Friday, and in preparation the police issued a list of rules for those planning to attend his public appearances. But alongside a ban on carrying weapons and the consumption of alcohol, it stipulated that "banners containing references to social struggle groups (in favour of abortion, gay marriage and the landless movement)" were prohibited at the events. On Tuesday, police spokeswoman Elisa Ledesma confirmed that such banners were not allowed, telling Radio Cardinal that the Pope's visit was "not the occasion to request such things".

The news prompted a wave of criticism on social media and among high-profile public figures, with some accusing the police of behaving as if Paraguay was a dictatorship. "In a democratic country you cannot limit free speech," Monsignor Adalberto Martinez, Paraguay's military bishop, said in a radio interview. "The Catholic Church has not issued any prohibition on carrying placards during the Pope's visit." The gay rights group Somos Gay announced it would respond by erecting anti-homophobia billboards along the route that Pope Francis is scheduled to travel.

It seems the backlash was effective: only hours after Ms Ledesma's interview, the police issued a new statement. It specified that the only banners prohibited at the events will be those which obstruct other people's view.

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