News (World)

LGBT demonstrators in Russia attacked, jailed for unauthorized gay pride

LGBT demonstrators in Russia attacked, jailed for unauthorized gay pride

Russian police have arrested at least 14 LGBT activists for holding a unauthorized gay pride demonstration in St Petersburg on Saturday.

Eyewitnesses report that a number of anti-gay critics attacked the gay LGBT demonstrators while attempting to seize their banners.

Pink News
reports:

Nikolai Alexeyev, the founder of the GayRussia website is among those who have been arrested by police and is posting messages onto Twitter from the police station.

A recent tweet reports that there are “14 lgbt activists in police station. Two were beaten, Alexey Kiselev by police inside station and Alexander Sheremetyev by homophobe [sic].”

Mr Alexeyev reports that the gay rights activists will likely be taken to court but said “We will not surrender!”

According to AFP, about 15 people including Alexeiev, gathered in the city centre holding signs saying “Homophobia is a disease” while attracting abuse from critics.

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