Saint-Petersburg May 1 Procession: LGBT Activists Arrested Roughly
The local police has launched a real hunt for May 1 Procession's participants who had Rainbow flags. All over the city the police is arresting people who came to celebrate the festive occasion with Rainbow flags or slogans with such words as "gay", "lesbian", "transgender", "gender" and so on. On 5:00 pm there were about 20 gay activists detained in the city's police departments. According to "Zaks.Ru" Project, "all activists at the front of the democrats' procession were warned about their liability for breaching the law (On prohibition of homosexual propaganda) and signed respective papers...".
The police continued to arrest people with LGBT symbols throughout the procession's movement. At last the march stopped near "Mayakovskaya" metro station in protest for detainment of some representatives of the LGBT community. Democrats were chanting "One for all, all for one" and "Down with the power of KGB".
The "Echo of Moscow in Saint-Petersburg" reports that the arrests of LGBT activists were rough (automated translation >>). Around 10 gay activists including Igor Kochtkov, the leader of the Coming Out LGBT organization, were picked in the police bus near the Nevsky prospekt and Rubinstein str. junction. Journalists note that "the policemen could not explain the motives for their detainment". Later detainees were taken to the 76th police department of Saint-Petersburg.
"Fontanka" reports that the democrats' column continued its march along Nevsky prospekt with LGBT members and Democracy march's organizers at its front wearing rainbow ribbons (e.g. Maxim Reznik, Yabloko party deputy in city's legislature (ZakS), put it on his jacket) (automated translation >>).
In Saint-Petersburg LGBT activists planned to join the Democracy March as a united single column (automated translation >>). Their idea was supported by more than 15 hundred people on the official inernet page of the event in Vkontakte.
Earlier the Coming out LGBT organization stressed the fact that the rainbow symbols formally do not mean propaganda of homosexuality. "But we warn that slogans' contents might be viewed by the police in different ways. If a policeman approaches you and asks to fold the slogan, you might: fold it and continue to march or show your bravery and fight for the right on true and impartial information about homosexuality and be arrested and accused of administrative liability. The Coming Out LGBT Organization's lawyer is ready to help if you were arrested by the police (telephone +7 (812) 313-93-69).
English translation presented by Yerdna Bananes
The police continued to arrest people with LGBT symbols throughout the procession's movement. At last the march stopped near "Mayakovskaya" metro station in protest for detainment of some representatives of the LGBT community. Democrats were chanting "One for all, all for one" and "Down with the power of KGB".
The "Echo of Moscow in Saint-Petersburg" reports that the arrests of LGBT activists were rough (automated translation >>). Around 10 gay activists including Igor Kochtkov, the leader of the Coming Out LGBT organization, were picked in the police bus near the Nevsky prospekt and Rubinstein str. junction. Journalists note that "the policemen could not explain the motives for their detainment". Later detainees were taken to the 76th police department of Saint-Petersburg.
"Fontanka" reports that the democrats' column continued its march along Nevsky prospekt with LGBT members and Democracy march's organizers at its front wearing rainbow ribbons (e.g. Maxim Reznik, Yabloko party deputy in city's legislature (ZakS), put it on his jacket) (automated translation >>).
In Saint-Petersburg LGBT activists planned to join the Democracy March as a united single column (automated translation >>). Their idea was supported by more than 15 hundred people on the official inernet page of the event in Vkontakte.
Earlier the Coming out LGBT organization stressed the fact that the rainbow symbols formally do not mean propaganda of homosexuality. "But we warn that slogans' contents might be viewed by the police in different ways. If a policeman approaches you and asks to fold the slogan, you might: fold it and continue to march or show your bravery and fight for the right on true and impartial information about homosexuality and be arrested and accused of administrative liability. The Coming Out LGBT Organization's lawyer is ready to help if you were arrested by the police (telephone +7 (812) 313-93-69).
English translation presented by Yerdna Bananes
