Moscow mayor repeats claims of ‘satanic’ gay Pride marches
The mayor of Moscow has repeated his claims that gay Pride marches are “satanic”.
Yuri Luzhkov attacked gay-themed events in 2007 as “satanic” in 2007 and banned gay rights campaigners from holding such an event.
According to the Interfax news agency, he said last month: “For several years, Moscow has experience[d] unprecedented pressure to conduct a gay pride parade, which cannot be called anything but a Satanic act.
“We have prevented such a parade and we will not allow it in the future. Everyone needs to accept that as an axiom.”
Luzhkov added: “It’s high time that we stop propagating nonsense discussions about human rights, and bring to bear on them the full force and justice of the law.”
Last year, gay rights campaigners including Nicolai Alekseev and Peter Tatchell were arrested and fined by police for a short, small march on the day of the Eurovision final. In 2007, a similar attempt led to violence from neo-Nazi groups.
Alekseev said that plans for a 2010 march on May 29th would go ahead, despite Luzhkov’s statements.
Activists have unsuccessfully tried to have the mayor prosecuted under Article 149 of the Russian Criminal Code for using his political power to prevent legal public events for the LGBT community in the city.
