Riot police arrest Tatchell at gay march in Moscow
Protest to coincide with Eurovision is banned to prevent 'moral degradation'
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Riot police in Moscow ruthlessly broke up a peaceful gay rights protest yesterday, at times using violence to detain the participants. The city authorities had banned the march, timed to coincide with the supposedly gay-friendly Eurovision Song Contest, but around 30 activists decided to protest anyway, changing the venue at the last minute.
They gathered near Moscow's main university, chanting slogans and unveiling banners protesting against homophobia in Russian society. Most of the demonstrators, including the organiser, Nikolai Alexeev, and British gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, were bundled into police vans and driven away. The city's mayor has previously referred to gays as "Satanists" and the authorities claimed the march had been banned to prevent "moral degradation".
At Pushkin Square in central Moscow, where the gay march was initially slated to take place, around 1,000 riot police were massed. In another part of the city, a small "anti-gay" protest was allowed to go ahead, although six Orthodox Christian activists were detained in Pushkin Square.
"We will not allow these people to turn our city into another Sodom," said one protester, Igor Miroshnichenko, just before he was arrested.
Mr Tatchell was released without charge in the afternoon after the British Embassy requested consular access to him, but most of the other participants in the gay demonstration were still being held by police. Mr Alexeev was separated from the rest. "We can't make contact with him," Mr Tatchell said. "We're very concerned for his safety and well-being."
He added that it was "disappointing" that little open support had been given to the protesters by Eurovision participants. "They're under huge pressure to avoid controversy over this," he said.
The police had tried to detain protesters in the days leading up to the march, and the activists spent two days hiding at a country house outside the city. They evaded police roadblocks to make their way into Moscow yesterday morning but, within five minutes of their protest starting at the new, unannounced venue, they were all under arrest, with police using strong-arm tactics even where no resistance was offered.
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Comments
Years ago of course the police (and our society) where not so tolerant.
What a contrast to other places in the world.
Tatchell and his followers should be up there with the Pankhurst's for their courage and fortitude, for their right to exist.
Well done the Moscow police - keep Tatchell, no one wants him here.
The Western Wurlitzer media plays along with gay abandon. 30 - count 'em 30 - MI6 agitators in Moscow make the headlines everywhere in order to rain on Russia's Eruovision parade. On the exact same day, hundreds of thousands of workers were marching all over Europe to protest the EU's complete disdain for the avalanche of unemployment while it gives its derelict high-flyers of finance massive transfusions from the public treasury. The Wurlitzer media were nowhere to be seen. 30 bought-and-paid agitators in Moscow is headline news but hundreds of thousands of marchers all over Europe don't even get a passing mention.
The Komsomolskaya Pravda was a more reliable source of information that the completely manipulated and mercenary news media that the West showcases as its "free press."
Don't seem to learn do they.
Just because Britain has become like Sodom and gomorrah don't expect the rest of the world to just meekly follow suit.
What people get up to in the privacy of their own bedrooms is their own business-but what we have now with the likes of Tatchell is a militant who wants to force his own views on everyone else.
Why the gays etc are not revelling in their time I am perplexed.
After all-have not all minority interests had a whale of a time getting exactly what they want under the NuLabour scum.
Oh and please keep Tatchell in Russia.
Alan Johnson wants children to sing,sing if you're glad to be gay,at school assembly.
I wish we had a strong leader like Putin with traditional moral values here,instead of these Labour crooked clowns.
Peter Tatchell to Siberia please.
However, the media coverage can only be good. Media made the Uk accept gay people for who they are.
Tatchell has helped to change the UK massively in the last 20 years! I used to think him an extreme activist, but now have an immense amount of respect for him.
The comments on this blogsite however are a surprise to me. Bigotry is alive and well in the UK..
A FEW POINTS FOR THE BIGOTS IN THE ROOM...
Interestingly however, most homophobics are closeted homosexuals.. There is significant research that has been completed in this area.
I hope the bigots are happy that it is suspected the biggest cause of suicide amongst young men is associated with coming-out.. Surely this would be easier if you lightened up a bit!
Also, bere in mind - often when you have a bigot in the family if you have a gay family member, it can split the family forever..
If you do not like the bigoty displayed here, you should blame Tatchell et al. I find the idea of Homosexuality distateful but my two oldest friends are homosexuals and you could not meet two more Christian Gentlemen (both metaphorically and literally - one is a Deacon of The Church). They, unlike Tatchell, have the common sense to know that, because they are different, it behoves them to be circumspect (which is not denial) and not rub the faces of their wide circle of friends in the differences. Nobody in their circle is bothered because we all accept them as the decent people that they are. I am glad that they found each other and can be happier than if they were alone.
i for one hope they keep him.
Maybe a few years in a hard labour camp with
real Russian men would do him good.
As such, I had no idea how widespread anti-gay sentiment is and I am absolutely stunned by the extent of the homophobic comments posted here.
Why do people get so upset about where other people put their willys?
People here talk of 'morality', but this clearly can't be something that they have ever thought through for themselves; simply a relic of Victorian conservatism or sanctimonious doctrines that have gone unquestioned for hundreds of years.
It beggars belief that people can read this article about riot police physically beating peaceful protesters, then comment 'Well done Russia.'.
Disgraceful, you should be ashamed of yourselves.
If I'm not mistaken, making homophobic comments was made illegal in the UK in 2007 under the same law that prohibits attack on people because of their race or sex.
Surely the comments along the lines of 'We don't want them in our country.' would therefore be a criminal offense under the laws of the UK that have jurisdiction over this website.
I therefore hope that the IP addresses of the people committing these hate crimes will be passed on to the police, and that they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law so that they might know that their views are not representative of their fellow countrymen and will not be tolerated.
Peter Tatchell is a bona-fide hero. He is an extremely intelligent, articulate person that could easily be commanding a huge salary in the corporate world. Instead, he nobly forgoes this to dedicate himself to standing up to the injustices of this world. What an incredibly brave man.
Albert Einstein: "The world is a dangerous place to live in: not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it."
Thank you Peter.
I would love to see the Plod try to mount a prosecution case on the basis of these blogs. What has been said is not illegal as it does not incite violence but is a statement of opinion. It is in any case not going to stop debate as people will then use anonymous servers instead. Sad for you, I know, as you obviously think that anyone who does not think like you should be locked up and stifled.
Tatchell is not a hero but a mouthy gobshite who risks damagings the acceptance that homosexuals have now got in Britain.
Vlad the Destroyer is systematically wiping out any semblance of democracy in the country. Therefore it is the height of irony for the Russian government to accuse someone else of "moral degradation".
1. What exactly are 'traditional values', and whose traditions are we referring to? Homosexuality has been accepted across the world for a very, very long time
2. Peter Tatchell is a campaigner for minority rights. He doesn't seem to be sending any unacceptable messages out, so what exactly have people got against him?
3. If readers can't accept homosexuality per se, then say so. Would you wish all homosexuals to be beaten up and detained in Russia, or just the campaigners?
1. what exactly are 'traditional values', and whose traditions are we referring to? Homosexuality has been accepted across the world for a very, very long time I agree but we have not solved how we get babies and the stories of the birds and bees are with us. We teach biology to all as is per se.
2. Peter Tatchell is a campaigner for minority rights. He doesn't seem to be sending any unacceptable messages out, so what exactly have people got against him? We never had the G20 deaths but now after London We will never walk on the pavements. The history teaches us a lot. Try there. The museum is the best place.
3. If readers can't accept homosexuality per se, then say so. Would you wish all homosexuals to be beaten up and detained in Russia, or just the campaigners? I do not agree per se. We will have plenty of food and PMs would pilfer per se, however we produces babies and they grew up to become is the PMs per se, albeit we never realised this, however subject to the clauses in the Darwin the great, Lawyer , he objected he unbeatable, in vain, and we are in the cabins of lesbians and Gays.
Adapt or die is the drastic Darwinian ultimatum usually invoked by green campaigners. It also applies to businesses hoping to survive the downturn. In the housing industry, there are encouraging signs that some ? From developers to estate agents? Have taken the message to heart. Read this. I think I will postpone this too.
In the first insider account of how radicals are preying on vulnerable Muslim youths, the teenager describes being approached by Islamists at a mosque in south London that was used by the failed 21/7 bombers, and indoctrinated at a secret network of squats. Aged 15, he was the youngest of about 50 recruits who were shown ?martyrdom? Videos and encouraged to travel to Pakistan to receive terrorist training. The Pakistan will send the water they said.
I thank you
Firozali A.Mulla
Whilst I don't exactly like Peter Tatchell I more than respect both his obvious courage, his principles and everything he stands for.
Telling people that they can't protest, because it might offend the majority, is not exactly a modern democratic way of doing things.
To follow the logic of some people here, if you get elected, it gives you the right to kill the opposition, because it was what the people wanted. I don't think that is how democracy is supposed to work.
The rule of law in a democracy should allow and protect public protest.
I was overly sanctimonious,moralistic and humourous and stand corrected by afterculture earlier in this thread.This is a very sensitive issue to gay people and they feel great offence even if people are attacking Peter Tatchell not them in general.
Your comments are certainly general and will cause maximum offence as you clearly intend.Why can't you enjoy life and this world and all the wonderful variety of people in it ?
Whilst there is always friction between different groups of people,like for example gay people and those who hold religious convictions.We all have to make the best of this with sensitivity as we would be that much poorer as a community without each other.