Moscow security official: Attempts to hold gay pride march will be ‘thwarted’

Illustrated rainbow pride flag on a pink background.

The Mayor’s office in Moscow has refused an application to hold a gay pride even in the city later this month, security officials said because of a “negative attitude” to the application, and that attempts to hold an unofficial march will be “thwarted”.

LGBT activists in Russia, earlier this week filed a request to hold pride on 25 May in the Russian capital, but the application was declined.

Top security official, Alexei Mayorov, said on Wednesday: “We have sent a notification to the organizers that we have not given a go-ahead to the event.”

An application to picket in Moscow’s Sokolniki Park was also declined.

He went on to cite a “negative attitude” towards the idea of a gay pride march as the reason for its application being turned down.

Mr Mayorov went on to warn against possible attempts to hold the event anyway, saying: “If the organizers still try to hold the event, a certain reaction will follow and the action will be thwarted.”

In August last year, Nikolay Alexeyev, founder of Moscow Gay Pride, had an appeal against the century-long ban on the parade rejected by Moscow City Court.

Mr Alexeyev filed an appeal against the June ban – which will prevent the city’s LGBT community from holding anything that resembles a gay pride march, rally or celebration for the next 100 years.

A law in the city of St Petersburg law equates homosexuality with paedophilia and was passed by the city on February 29 of last year – despite more than 270,000 people signing an online petition against the measure.

Last year, St Petersburg authorities permitted a rally against homophobia, but its participants were attacked by masked thugs, none of whom were arrested.

In January, the Russian State Duma adopted the first reading of a homophobic censorship bill which would impose federal sanctions for the promotion of “gay propaganda”, similar to those passed in several regions of Russia, including St Petersburg. 

 

 

 

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