In two separate incidents on Sunday over 40 Russian LGBT activists have been arrested protesting for LGBT rights in the extremely homophobic country.
Moscow police broke up one protest where gay activists gathered outside the Moscow city council building, where scuffles occurred with Orthodox Christian opponents who tried to disrupt the demonstration, decrying homosexuality as a sin. Later in the day another group tried to stage a second protest at city hall, but once again police moved in and detained participants, including prominent gay rights activist Nikolai Alexeyev.
The Orthodox Christians with whom the LGBT activist were harassed by this morning are described by WashPo:
Among the opponents of gay rights was Dmitry Tsarionov, who spoke to the crowd in front of a sign that said “Moscow is not Sodom.”
“I will not allow perverts to bring the wrath of God onto our city,” he said. “I want our children to live in a country where a sin that so awfully distorts human nature is not preached in schools.”
Over 40 people in total were arrested including prominent gay rights activist Nikolai Alexeyev was the first man arrested in St. Petersburg under that city’s new law prohibiting the “promotion” of homosexuality.