Police and protesters break up Moscow gay parade

[Xeric]

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian police, militant Orthodox Christians and neo-fascists broke up a first ever gay rights march in Moscow on Saturday, but the homosexuals said their short-lived protest as a "great victory."

Activists led by 28-year-old Nikolai Alexeyev had planned to lay flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier -- a symbol of the World War Two struggle against fascism, and one of Russia's most sacred places.

But police closed the gates to the park where the eternal flame burns under the Kremlin walls, and a heavy scrum of women singing hymns and shaven-headed nationalists tried to charge into the gay activists as the march arrived.

"This is a great victory, an absolute victory -- look at what's happening," Alexeyev said as he was dragged, bent almost double, away from the gates by two policemen.

City authorities had banned the march, which they called an "outrage to society," while religious leaders from all major faiths condemned it. Interfax news agency reported police had detained around 100 people after the clashes.
http://today.reuters.com/News/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-05-27T175542Z_01_L27582164_RTRUKOC_0_US-RUSSIA-GAYS.xml
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Looks like Russia has a long way to go.

[idgiehkt]

1. getting it from both sides, the gov't and the church.

just read this comment on America Blog:

"Those 1,000 police may help the gay pride participants to remain alive.

I read that the first 6 people to show up for Gay Pride there were attacked by 100 thugs.

6 versus 100.

I'd be PRAYING for those 1,000 cops to come. Even though you can bet some (maybe ALL) of the cops are homophobes... at least they MIGHT not kill me. Those nationalist skinhead thugs in Russia WILL kill anyone. I had a run-in with them once in Moscow and the ONLY reason they didn't kill me was that I was an American."

so great, the religious assholes are free to take other's freedoms away. In God's name. Why are churches and goverments so freaking concerned about my genitalia? I can't figure it out to save my life...

[cboy4]

2. Nobody ever said liberation was easy. Good

for them. They're very brave. :party:

[idgiehkt]

3. Video (CNN) of cops and Jesus-thugs breaking up Russia pride

http://www.cnn.com/video/partners/clickability/index.html?url=/video/world/2006/05/27/chance.russia.gay.pride.cnn

I had to disable pop up blocker to watch this, it had me bawling...God bless america and fight the right!

[cboy4]

4. After watching the video, I'm even more proud of the

people who participated in that historic parade.

Russia is an enormously corrupt nation.

I'm surprised they weren't all shot dead by the military.

[idgiehkt]

5. yes, I bawled watching that

And that beautiful soft-spoken Nicholae Alexeyev...God bless him and protect him. Those people just inspire me so much, their courage and bravery in the face of three enemies: the nationalist thugs, the Jesus thugs, and the gov't thugs. Some have said be grateful the cops were there to protect them from the skinheads. Watching this is watching our own history, watching what Stonewall and some of the other key moments in gay history here in the U.S. must have been like.

on a lighter note, I have to admit that I am such a queer that when I was watching the cops drag off some of the protestors I was thinking 'wow, I really like those blue camoflauge outfits on them'. lol. not trying to make light of the situation, but still...I can't be helped.

[cboy4]

6. yea, I was doing some "people watching" myself

so gay ;)