Gay activists detained near State Duma due to Orthodox homophobes' provocation
A number of homophobes provoked a street fight during a single picket near the main entrance of the Russian State Duma. Today gay activists since 9 am were holding a series of single pickets in the heart of Moscow. Thus they protested the Russian parliament's intent to impose a federal ban on so-called "homopropaganda" among minors (the "Don't say gay law").
According to the Russian LGBT Network's twits, the picketing started peacefully. The police detained some of "Orthodox activists" who had tried to make a provocation. But the number of homophobes grew bigger towards the beginning of "Love propaganda" action. Many gays and lesbians came to the building of the Parliament in pairs just to protest against the hate laws by peaceful kissing.
Around noon the gay protesters were pelted with eggs by the Orthodoxs and then were forced into a street fight. At 1 pm Elena Kostychenko - a journalist of Novaya Gazeta, Pavel Samburov (social page in Russian >>) - LGBT activist and public figures - Igor Yasin and Sergey Ilupin (social page in Russian >>) were detained. You are welcome to follow their twits: Elena (twitter in Russian >>) and Sergey (twitter in Russian >>), they were detained in the police up to 9 pm.
The Novaya Gazeta reports that at the moment of dispersal of this action by the police, the State Duma's guards have closed the main entrance of the building. Neither deputies nor journalists were allowed to leave the building for ten minutes while the police was catching the most ardent provocateurs and some LGBT activists.
Today single pickets and diverse actions of LGBT community were also held in Tomsk near the building of the regional authority. Similar actions are planned to be held in Saint-Petersburg, Arkhangelsk, Samara, Irkutsk, Nakhodka and other cities. The gay protest was backed yesterday by Chisinau and Brussels.
A detailed photo report of Drugoi blogger >>.
English translation presented by Yerdna Bananes
According to the Russian LGBT Network's twits, the picketing started peacefully. The police detained some of "Orthodox activists" who had tried to make a provocation. But the number of homophobes grew bigger towards the beginning of "Love propaganda" action. Many gays and lesbians came to the building of the Parliament in pairs just to protest against the hate laws by peaceful kissing.
Around noon the gay protesters were pelted with eggs by the Orthodoxs and then were forced into a street fight. At 1 pm Elena Kostychenko - a journalist of Novaya Gazeta, Pavel Samburov (social page in Russian >>) - LGBT activist and public figures - Igor Yasin and Sergey Ilupin (social page in Russian >>) were detained. You are welcome to follow their twits: Elena (twitter in Russian >>) and Sergey (twitter in Russian >>), they were detained in the police up to 9 pm.
Today single pickets and diverse actions of LGBT community were also held in Tomsk near the building of the regional authority. Similar actions are planned to be held in Saint-Petersburg, Arkhangelsk, Samara, Irkutsk, Nakhodka and other cities. The gay protest was backed yesterday by Chisinau and Brussels.
A detailed photo report of Drugoi blogger >>.
English translation presented by Yerdna Bananes
