Will Gay Pride Happen In Moscow?
Authorities in Moscow have said they will deal “firmly” with any attempts to hold gay Pride events during the Eurovision song contest, which takes place in the city this month.
According to News agency RIA Novosti, City Hall spokesman Leonid Krutakov said: “There have been no official applications for permission to hold gay parades during the May holidays and all attempts to hold such events will be firmly stopped by the authorities.”
However, according to a report from Canadian site Macleans.ca, Parade organisers have applied for permission, but say they will hold this year’s march either way. “We are not going to surrender our right to freedom of assembly and expression,” said Nikolai Alekseev, head of Moscow Pride.
Gay activists in Moscow have been denied permission to hold gay Pride marches every year since May 2006. That year Moscow’s pride march turned violent, with more than 120 people arrested, in 2007 it was banned by the city completely, and in 2008 their numerous applications to host a pride march this year were rejected by Moscow municipal council on the grounds that they would “endanger public order and cause negative reaction of the majority of the population”.
In the past Moscow’s Mayor Yury Luzhkov has called the marches “satanic”. According to Pinknews, the Russian Orthodox Church and far-right groups have announced that they will also prevent any attempt to hold a gay rights march in Russia.
At a Eurovision press conference in December, Luzhkov told gay tourists, “Entertain yourself, no problem, but not on the streets, squares, marches and demonstrations. We do not allow gay parades.” Homosexuality has been legal in Russia since 1993.
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