- St Petersburg lesbian nightclub called Infinity was raided by police
- Follows selfie by owner of kiss with girlfriend in front of anti-gay politician
- The selfie, taken in front of Vitaly Milonov on a plane, went viral
- Milonov later threatened to ‘call the Cossacks’ on the two women
A St Petersburg lesbian nightclub was raided by police yesterday after one of the owners kissed her girlfriend on a plane in front of an anti-LGBT politician in a selfie that went viral.
Police raided Infinity nightclub following complaints that it was letting underage people through its doors and allowing the sale of illegal drugs, it was reported.
The nightclub’s general director and social media administrator have been questioned by officers.
Russian human rights lawyer Vitaly Cherkasov believes that the raid is directly linked to the plane selfie, which was posted online at the beginning of February, according to Globalvoicesonline.org.
The picture was taken by ‘Kseniya Infinity’ on a plane travelling from Moscow to St Petersburg in front of Vitaly Milonov, a vehemently anti-gay politician.
The loving protest infuriated the St. Petersburg city councilman, who later called the women ‘animals’ and threatened to ‘call the Cossacks’ on them.
After the lesbian kissing selfie went viral on Instagram and Twitter, Milonov confirmed the incident to a local news website and threatened to find the women and have Cossacks ‘whip and torch’ them.
‘This animal offended all the passengers on the plane with its extravagant, terrible, inhuman antics,’ he said according to Zaks.ru, as reported by Buzzfeed.
‘I can call the Cossacks … they’re already on their way, with whips and torches. We will expel all the perverts from St. Petersburg.’
The picture also infuriated an anti-homosexual campaign group called Moscow Isn’t Sodom and Petersburg Isn’t Gomorrah, who made claims that many of those who go to Infinity are minors and that the club permits the sale of illegal drugs.
It posted a statement online two days after the picture was taken calling for its supporters to complain about the nightclub to the police.
The group drafted a complaint that could be forwarded on. It said: ‘I have every reason to believe. that the promotional activities carried out at the lesbian club Infinity pose a serious threat to the physical and mental health of minors who manage to enter the establishment.’
The group added: ‘It was precisely this nightclub’s staff who staged a provocation a few days ago. Before the eyes of everyone on board a flight from Moscow to St. Petersburg, they demonstrated their perverse inclinations, causing a scandal on the Internet.’
Last year Milonov said Apple CEO Tim Cook ‘should be banned’ from entering Russia after he came out as gay for the first time.
Milonov reportedly suggested that Cook could bring ‘the Ebola virus, Aids or gonorrhoea’, and wanted to ban him from Russia ‘for life’.
In the past he has also called Stephen Fry ‘a sick person’, during an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, during which he also likened homosexuality to beastiality.
In December last year he staged a raid on a St Petersburg gay club where he entered the venue with riot police and arrested anyone under 18.
Following last year’s Eurovision Song Contest, which he branded a ‘Europe-wide gay parade’, Milonov tweeted that Russia should boycott the ‘Sodom show’.
Milonov co-sponsored Russia’s controversial ‘gay propaganda’ law bans displays of ‘non-traditional sexual behaviour’ in public or in front of under-18s.
The law allows the government to detain ‘homosexual or sympathetic foreigners’ for up to 14 days, after which they could face expulsion from the country.
by Ted Thornhill for MailLOnLine
Source – Daily Mail
