The banned Moscow gay pride took place yesterday, at least for a little while before it was cut short as violence erupted.
There were shouts from gangs of men and threats of beatings and more, police officers arrested over a dozen gay rights activists who ignored the ban to march. There was a number of foreigners, gay rights activists who attempted to hold a rally in Moscow, whoi were also arrested.
Among the arrested were Dan Choi, an American Iraq war veteran and gay rights campaigner, and Andy Thayer, a Chicago-based activist, both in Moscow purely to support the rally. They were later released, no charges.
“Right ear ringing, small bleeding,” Mr. Choi wrote in a text message shortly after he was grabbed by several police officers and shoved into a police van. Other activists reported minor injuries from scuffles with the police and other unidentified men.
UK gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell ran from police and managed to escape being arrested and spoke to Euronews about the march.
The Moscow authorities, who rarely tolerate anti-government demonstrations, vowed never to allow Russia’s small community of gay rights activists to hold a rally in the capital, however similar events have been permitted in St. Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city.
Last year, the European Court of Human Rights fined Russia more than $40,000 for its refusal to allow gay rights supporters to hold peaceful demonstrations in Moscow. This year’s rally was banned, nevertheless.
“The Moscow authorities have once again behaved like cavemen,” said Nikolai Alekseyev, the organizer of Saturday’s attempted protest. He said 18 demonstrators had been arrested. By Saturday evening, however, all had been released. The protesters tried to gather amid a sea of journalists outside the walls of the Kremlin. As soon as they unfurled flags and banners, the officers pounced, hustling the protesters into waiting coaches. There was far more media staff, photographers and reporters than there were protestors.
There were also several groups of men — some wearing fatigues and combat boots, though apparently unaffiliated with the police — who said they had come to disrupt the rally.
Chanting “Down with Sodom,” one of the men tore up a photo of Elton John and jumped on it.
“This is a protest against perverts,” said Vladislav V. Kuroptev, a member of Union of Orthodox Flag Bearers, a conservative Christian group. “It is a violation of our moral values.” Asked what he planned to do to stop the planned gay rights protest, Mr. Kuroptev said: “We are prepared to use all measures possible.”
Several men attempted to kick and punch the gay rights activists before police officers could grab them. Despite what some of the attention grabbing protestors have said, it did appear in some cases, the police were trying to shield the protesters from the violence from the other groups.
The police said they arrested 16 people involved in attacks on the gay rights protesters, though they seemed to do nothing to disrupt several groups of muscle-bound men with shaved heads from chanting slurs against gays.
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