Gay couple stage a kiss in front of ‘Moscow’ — a hamlet in Scotland

A gay couple has staged a kiss outside “Moscow”, a small hamlet in Scotland, to campaign against the controversial anti-gay laws in Russia.

The Ayrshire hamlet shares its name with the Russian city “Moscow” owing to the burning of Moscow city in 1812.

The Moscow city burning occurred the same year of the building of the first house in the Moscow hamlet.

Ayr County Council also suggested that “during the Crimean war there were various refugees and prisoners located in the neighbourhood, and it was then that Russian names were given to various places.”

It is recorded that “a generation ago Russian prisoners of war were located between Galston and Fenwick, at a place called Moscow”

The population of Moscow in Russia is 11,510,097.

As of 2006 the population of Moscow in Scotland is reported as 118.

President Vladimir Putin signed the law in June banning the promotion of “non-traditional relationships” toward minors, a move that has been criticised as part of a broader crackdown on Russia’s gay community.

Four Dutch tourists shooting a film about gay rights in Russia were arrested last month, the first foreigners to be detained under the new law.

The law has so far sparked controversy among LGBT activists, with some calling for a boycott of the 2014 Games. Others have also called to boycott Russian vodka as a form of protest.

• Nov 29 2023

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