Dozens of nationalists gathered in the southern city of Lipetsk over the weekend to oppose a rally of three gay rights activists, a news report said.
Two young women and a man met Sunday in Lipetsk and walked to the city's central Sobornaya Ploshchad, where their demonstration for LGBT rights had been expected to take place, local news site LRNews reported.
The rally was greeted by about 100 nationalists and conservative activists, as well as police officers deployed to prevent violence, the report said.
One of the rally participants, who gave her name as Reida Linn, said she and her friends wanted to draw public attention to “fighting homophobia, discrimination and violations of the Constitution and of the rights of LGBT people,” LRNews reported.
Local authorities declined to issue authorization for the rally, Linn was quoted as saying. Participants in unauthorized rallies are subject to prosecution under Russian law.
A middle-aged man threw a green tomato at the demonstrators and shouted: “You have no place on Russian soil,” before he was detained by police, the report said.
As opponents continued their verbal assaults, police detained the demonstrators, placing them in a police van. The Komsomolskaya Pravda daily described police actions as an attempt to protect the protestors.
A group of young men then tried to overturn the vehicle before additional police troops rushed to the scene, dispersing the crowd that surrounded the van and detaining four people, news reports said.
Demonstrations of anti-gay sentiment in Russia have reportedly flared up after the country last year passed a law banning the promotion of gay “propaganda” to minors.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
