Police arrest 30 at gay pride rally in Moscow
Source: The Observer
Police arrest 30 at gay pride rally in Moscow
Alexander Winning in Moscow
The Observer, Saturday 25 May 2013 17.57 BST
Russian police arrested at least 30 activists in central Moscow on Saturday at a gay pride rally to mark 20 years since homosexuality was decriminalised.
Police officers pounced on the gay campaigners moments after they unfurled banners and rainbow-coloured flags outside the State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, on Saturday afternoon. Several protesters were attacked by Orthodox Christian vigilantes. The arrests were made outside the Duma and the Moscow mayor's office where the rally ended. Activists chose to rally by the Duma to protest against a federal bill that would impose fines of up to 500,000 roubles (£10,500) for promoting homosexuality among minors. More than 10 regional legislatures across Russia have passed similar laws which have been widely condemned.
More than two decades after the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia remains deeply conservative and independent opinion polls show that about three-quarters of the population support suppressing public displays of homosexuality.
Officers patrolling outside the Duma shouted from megaphones: "Your rally is not sanctioned, you're disrupting passers-by" while police trucks fitted with metal cages waited nearby. Moscow authorities had refused permission for the rally for the eighth year in a row, saying it would interfere with students out celebrating the last day of term.
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/25/russian-police-arrest-gay-activists