Authorities in Moscow arrested dozens of gay rights activists on Saturday as they attempted to hold a Gay Pride demonstration.
Sky News reported that at least 30 activists were being held by police after they defied a city order banning such protests.
The activists targeted Russia’s lower house of parliament, where lawmakers are considering a bill which would criminalize “public actions aimed at propaganda of pederasty, lesbianism, bisexuality and transgenderism among minors.” It also seeks to ban public events which promote gay rights, such as Gay Pride parades and gay rights demonstrations.
In attempting to unfurl banners denouncing the Kremlin-backed anti-gay legislation, the protesters were attacked by Orthodox Christian vigilantes carrying icons and crosses.
Earlier this month, a 22-year-old man from Volgograd was allegedly tortured and killed after he came out gay to two male friends he knew since childhood. And last week, priests in black robes led an attack on a Gay Pride march in Georgia, sending 14 people to the hospital. While 4 men have been arrested, none of them were identified as a member of the clergy.
by On Top Magazine Staff
Source – On Top Magazine
