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Russian police break up gay demonstration in Moscow

Jun 1, 2008, 13:32 GMT

Moscow - Large numbers of police broke up a gay demonstration in the centre of Moscow Sunday, Interfax news agency reported. The demonstration, which was again refused permission to go ahead by the authorities in the capital as in previous years, was attacked by right-wing nationalists and there were some arrests, Interfax reported. Police broke into a flat from the window of which a banner was hanging, a city authority spokesman said. The banner called on Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov to respect the rights of gays and lesbians. Most of the 13 people arrested were right-wing sympathizers, the report said. Some of them punched and kicked the demonstrators, witnesses said. Members of the Russian Orthodox Church held a protest against the demonstration outside city hall with crucifixes and icons. Representatives of the Moscow Homosexual Organization said the demonstration had been peaceful on purpose. 'We wanted to show Mr Luzhkov that we are not as 'abnormal' as he would like to portray us,' one organization member said. The ban on homosexual sex was lifted in Russia in 1993, but there is virtually no tolerance for openly gay and lesbian people in almost all of the former Soviet Union. Almost 50 per cent of Russians polled in June 2006 said they condemned homosexuality.

Europe News

Russian police break up gay demonstration in Moscow

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