RUSSIA: Gay rights activists hold unsanctioned gathering in central Moscow

Record ID: 277390

  • Title: RUSSIA: Gay rights activists hold unsanctioned gathering in central Moscow
  • Date: 2nd June 2008
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) NIKOLAI ALEXEEV, LEADER OF MOSCOW LGBT (LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER/TRANSSEXUAL) ALLIANCE, SAYING: "We show today that the peaceful action is possible in this city, we are not breaking any morals of anyone, here we are, everyone is happy."
  • Embargoed: 17th June 2008 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAQNDTPBLJBSYAMR5F2C359B24
  • Story Text: Small group of representatives of Russian sexual minorities gather in central Moscow to demand equal rights and protest what they call "homophobic" policy of Moscow's mayor.
    About 20 representatives of sexual minorities took part in an unsanctioned gay gathering in central Moscow on Sunday, June 1.
    Moscow authorities have rejected official applications by Gay Parade organizers over the past three years for permission to march, on the grounds that it would interfere with the rights and everyday lives of ordinary Muscovites.
    As the group's leader said they have submitted applications for every day in May and after receiving the expected negative response decided to gather on June 1.
    About 20 gay rights activists gathered around the monument to Russian composer Pyotr Chaikovsky and then proceeded towards the Mayor's office.
    "We show today that the peaceful action is possible in this city, we are not breaking any morals of anyone, here we are, everyone is happy"
    said Nikolai Alexeev, leader of Russia's LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender/transsexual) Alliance.
    In 2006, during a Russian Orthodox Church conference at the Kremlin, Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov called the gay parade a "satanic event."
    His office has since denied every parade request, a move upheld as constitutional by the Moscow City Court in April 2007.
    "We have travelled here from Vancouver, Canada, from Vancouver party side, we are here to support the pride here because its a very important factor in moving forward human rights and all these people want is to be treated as everybody else and they have the right" - said Kem, a gay rights activist from Canada.
    Homosexuality was legalized in Russia in 1993. Russia is a member of the Council of Europe, and a signatory to the European Convention of Human Rights, which obliges the state to allow demonstrations to be held.
    From Chaikovsky monument gay rights activists walked to the Mayor's office and put on the house in front of it poster reading "Rights to gays and lesbians, Luzhkov's homophobia - to trial". Here they were met by large crowd of journalists, police and their opponents from various Orthodox and nationalist groups, which were throwing eggs into the poster.
    A 2007 parade led by Alexeev in defiance of the ban turned violent.
    Anti-gay protesters attacked British gay rights activist Peter Tatchell and singer Richard Fairbrass as police stood by. Police detained the pair, as well as European Parliament deputies Marco Cappato of Italy and Volker Beck of Germany and 27 other people.
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