RUSSIA: Russian police detain dozens including British gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, as punches, eggs fly over Gay Pride march in Moscow

Record ID: 277443

  • Title: RUSSIA: Russian police detain dozens including British gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, as punches, eggs fly over Gay Pride march in Moscow
  • Date: 27th May 2007
  • Summary: PROTESTERS STANDING IN SQUARE
  • Embargoed: 11th June 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement
  • Reuters ID: LVAWO21HS0T2VQBXVZ2N0XYKR30
  • Story Text: Russian police detain dozens of gays on Sunday (May 27) when they tried to present a petition to hold a Gay Pride march in central Moscow, while nationalists shouting "death to homosexuals" punched and kicked protesters including British gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell.
    Gay rights protesters were detained by riot police on Sunday (May 27) as they tried to present a petition calling for Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov to allow them to hold a Pride parade.
    Luzhkov has upheld a ban on the parade, calling such marches "satanic acts".
    Dozens of protesters, including parade organisers, were seized after they clashed with nationalist and religious groups who had come in support of the ban.
    They held icons and denounced homosexuality as evil, while a group of thick-set young men turned up with surgeon's masks which they said would defend them against the "gay disease."
    Gay protesters were attacked by men screaming "homosexuals are perverts", and many had blood pouring down their faces as they were led away by police -- though some of their attackers were also detained.
    Hundreds of riot police lined Tverskaya street in central Moscow and plain clothed police mingled with a large number of foreign and Russian journalists.
    Richard Fairbrass, a gay singer with the British pop group Right Said Fred, was punched in the face and kicked by anti-gay activists while speaking to Reuters in an interview.
    Volker Beck, a German green party politician and gay rights campaigner, was hit in the face with eggs before being detained by riot police.
    Germany's Green party chairwoman Claudia Roth called on Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel to raise the issue of rights with President Vladimir Putin at next month's G8 summit.
    Representatives from Human Rights Watch who turned out to monitor the protest said gay pride protesters had been detained for simply trying to present a peaceful petition, and that police had made little attempt to separate the two sides and prevent violence.
    Russia decriminalised homosexuality in 1993 but tolerance is not widespread.
    "They (homosexuals) have a psychological disease and should be treated, this is all propaganda sponsored by the west to spoil our society and traditional values," said Moscow resident Alexei.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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