Homophobia in Russia - Main Theme of Christopher Street Day
On Saturday, June 23rd, participants of the Christopher Street Day in Berlin showed their protest against LGBT people discrimination in the Russian Federation. Recently Russia has become a stronghold of human rights' violation and persecution of gays and lesbians, reports Deutsche Welle participants of CSD parade as saying. CSD's organizers criticize the laws on prohibition of homopropaganda that came into effect in Saint-Petersburg and other Russian regions. Volker Beck, the Executive Secretary of the "Greens" fraction in the Bundestag called on the official Berlin to condemn these laws and attach every effort to prevent the adoption of the similar anti-gay law on federal level in Russia.
The itinerary of the march was specially made through the Unter den Linden boulevard where the Russian Embassy to Germany is located. In front of the Embassy's gates CSD's participants expressed their protests against Moscow's policy towards sexual minorities. They shoot confetti in the direction of the Embassy's premises and covered the path to the Embassy with Rainbow coloured paper. Gay activists held a placard with the picture of the Russian President V. Putin and Russian Prime Minister D. Medevedev having a bride's bunch of flowers, and declared that Russia was a stronghold of LGBT discrimination, violation of human rights.
When the column of 40 brightly coloured machine platforms with CSD participants wearing fancy-dresses and performing music was crossing the Unter den Linden boulevard, visitors saw a placard in 4 languages, saying: "Attention! You are entering the Russian Sector. No free speech! No homopropaganda!". Such an improvised check-point was named by the CSD's organizers and participants after the Russian President Putin - "Checkpoint Vladimir", reports the Freedom Radio ("Radio Svoboda").
"Knowledge leads to acceptance" was the motto of the CSD this year, continues Deutsche Welle. Education and science should promote elimination of prejudice and stereotypes towards LGBT community. Gay pride participants called on to the society to express civic virtue in order to fight against the discrimination of LGBT people and homophobia. Diversity in society should be reflected first of all also in the sphere of education, stated CSD's organizers.
700 000 people were participating in the Christopher Street Day.
English translation presented by Yerdna Bananes
The itinerary of the march was specially made through the Unter den Linden boulevard where the Russian Embassy to Germany is located. In front of the Embassy's gates CSD's participants expressed their protests against Moscow's policy towards sexual minorities. They shoot confetti in the direction of the Embassy's premises and covered the path to the Embassy with Rainbow coloured paper. Gay activists held a placard with the picture of the Russian President V. Putin and Russian Prime Minister D. Medevedev having a bride's bunch of flowers, and declared that Russia was a stronghold of LGBT discrimination, violation of human rights.
When the column of 40 brightly coloured machine platforms with CSD participants wearing fancy-dresses and performing music was crossing the Unter den Linden boulevard, visitors saw a placard in 4 languages, saying: "Attention! You are entering the Russian Sector. No free speech! No homopropaganda!". Such an improvised check-point was named by the CSD's organizers and participants after the Russian President Putin - "Checkpoint Vladimir", reports the Freedom Radio ("Radio Svoboda").
"Knowledge leads to acceptance" was the motto of the CSD this year, continues Deutsche Welle. Education and science should promote elimination of prejudice and stereotypes towards LGBT community. Gay pride participants called on to the society to express civic virtue in order to fight against the discrimination of LGBT people and homophobia. Diversity in society should be reflected first of all also in the sphere of education, stated CSD's organizers.
700 000 people were participating in the Christopher Street Day.
English translation presented by Yerdna Bananes
