BOSTON — Police in Boston are bracing for large crowds during this weekend’s “straight pride” parade.

The department said Friday it will set up metal detectors and conduct bag checks on City Hall Plaza on Saturday. It will also post plainclothes and uniformed officers and restrict parking along the parade route.

The parade is slated to start at noon at Copley Plaza and pass through major downtown streets before ending with a rally at City Hall Plaza.

The event is expected to draw a large counter protest.

Among the scheduled speakers is a leader of the Proud Boys, which the Anti-Defamation League describes as an “extremist conservative group.”

A group called Super Happy Fun America announced the parade as Boston celebrated LGBTQ Pride Month earlier this summer.

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