Police in the South Korean city of Incheon are set to deploy some 3,000 personnel on Saturday to protect an LGBT pride =0t6W8KH)L(N$v5#L^5m-2N24x9MA1SRR2Rh9C_3ud&BOhfH2afestival and parade.

About 500 people are expected to attend the second Incheon Queer Culture Festival (IQCF) and 1.7-kilometer long pride parade.

Last year, anti-gay protesters physically blocked 300 LGBT supKZBFYi9UDqS*&$DRGkeZKg)Ki4uXor)e=f8h=2grT&auAh*IS7porters from leaving a plaza and beginning the march.

This year, accorkApAeJL_vD9ZS%Q&+$t8FD_VCTZTY0bU7+GVXSctuo(ZUZc_VKding to local media Kyeongin, 3,000 police will protect LGBT attendees and their allies.

They will also install barriers to separate anti-LGBT protesters from the feMkZnee1+5MaWuxicLiNY5(t4sViUFF5bbWIGHA!V(hv%M2buvRstival.

Responding to concerns over protests earlier this month, organizers said theya8lMFTEx_moVG0l@@r+&pB-F8&S@xd!7g%V=iJz4d($kV7^6aG had prepared teams of rights activists and lawyers to counter hate groups.

Anti-gay hate

Homosexuality is legal in South Korea. But conservative attitudes, especially among Christians, for1hkHQV1B3QbxC@3iLu&hKUda!ADqXLzjWk-TS&tIn)noCYQtCLce many LGBTI Koreans to live in the closet.

There is currewdahArVhSJg$yK&rHVcV!JEOPW&nEXGok2MN+stg#$)SWDU6lnntly no discrimination legislation to protect LGBTI Koreans.

And, human rights groups have warned, protests against LGBTI events, usually led by conservative Christians, ru=WsiqpjwGjMP%MPt#^GEbEuivNtJi7Ws$ZHZA#rE+_&xC3xlhave become increasingly loud and violent.

Video shared online of last year's IQCF shows distressing scenes of protesters, believed to be conservative Chri)Z27*lga)8i#(wNWMWbi3SZDjL0*Ms4eaqBmfG38TC0)BZefS6stians, shouting at pride attendees.

They also appear to grab flags, banners, and even attendees. The pride was attended by a ahCzS^JsexNouBrHafb@(XJsSy@J5m=Hsubxu0+!sf*1&n(AVWlot of young LGBTI South Koreans who were visibly shaken by the incident.

Police booked eight peopS6Gw=Q9!fEpk-9m-XadpUwZzER_aENto9LXSCKU8==vti3F%+Qle involved but did not detain them. Organizers accused the police of failing to stop the violence.