Paris gay pride parade goes ahead under tight security

A reveler parades during the annual Gay Pride march in Paris, France, Saturday, July 2, 2016. Three weeks after the massacre at a Florida gay nightclub, people celebrate gay rights movement. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) (The Associated Press)

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Revelers dance during the annual Gay Pride march in Paris, France, Saturday, July 2, 2016. Three weeks after the massacre at a Florida gay nightclub, people celebrated the gay rights movement. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) (The Associated Press)

A reveler parades during the annual Gay Pride march in Paris, France, Saturday, July 2, 2016. Three weeks after the massacre at a Florida gay nightclub, people celebrated the gay rights movement. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) (The Associated Press)

PARIS – Thousands of people have marched in a gay pride parade in Paris amid tight police security, three weeks after the massacre at a Florida gay nightclub.

France itself is still under state of emergency following last year's attacks. Some participants in Paris were wearing black armbands to pay tribute to the Orlando victims.

The U.S. embassy in France was officially represented in Saturday's parade. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and Culture Minister Audrey Azoulay also joined the march, which was reduced to a short 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) in the city center to ensure better security.

French President Francois Hollande on Saturday tweeted "let's keep fighting for freedom and equality," with the French pride parade's hashtag #MarchedesFiertes.