×
Enjoying ad-free content?
Since July 1, 2024, we have disabled all ads to improve your reading experience.
This commitment costs us $10,000 a month. Your support can help us fill the gap.
Support us
Our journalism is banned in Russia. We need your help to keep providing you with the truth.

Moscow Plays Host to a Diverse Array of Nationalist, LGBT Rallies

Two protesters holding a banner that reads "Marriage, Children, Security."

Muscovites wishing to voice their discontent with a range of government policies held a trio of protests on Saturday, though organizers seemed more focused the symbolic victory of not being detained than of generating political momentum.

Speaking before a crowd supporters in central Moscow's Triumfalnaya Ploshchad early Saturday evening, nationalist politician and author Eduard Limonov lauded his party The Other Russia for having "survived" a lengthy period of rejection during which each application to organize a public demonstration was shot down.

Limonov's was essentially the keynote speech in a "Strategy 31" event that the party applied to orchestrate. Strategy 31 is an ongoing series of rallies held at the end of each 31-day month. The date was chosen in honor of Article 31 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to hold peaceful public gatherings.

Saturday marked the first occasion in five years when The Other Russia was granted permission to host a Strategy 31 event.

Speaking to a crowd that Kommersant estimated at 300 people, Limonov denied rumors that city authorities had permitted the rally because he had come out in support of intervention in Ukraine.

Still, Limonov called on his followers and the authorities to offer more assistance to the separatists in eastern Ukraine, and flags of the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic were seen in large numbers among attendees.

While Limonov embraced a resurgence for freedom of assembly, gay rights activists saw a drop in numbers and a slew of detentions at protests that took place earlier on Saturday.

During an unsanctioned Gay Pride Parade held across the street from City Hall, two women were detained by police while holding up a rainbow flag. The number pales in comparison to last year's iteration of the event, when more than 30 activists were detained.

A separate, sanctioned LGBT demonstration was held Saturday afternoon in Gorky Park. The protest was scheduled to coincide with International Children's Day under the auspices of protecting minors from discrimination.

Dozens of participants gathered in a cordoned-off section of the park. At one point, anti-LGBT activists hurled eggs at the protesters.

Rally organizer Igor Yasin told The Moscow Times after the event that holding small-scale actions with broad goals like protecting children regardless of their sexual orientation was a small step for Russia's gay rights movement, but said, "All the same it is an important step because we did it even though there were complaints from the police."

Yasin was detained by police while speaking with The Moscow Times and posted on his Twitter account 2 1/2 hours later that he had been let go.

Four activists were detained in the park, though not all of them were directly participating in the sanctioned activities. Among those detained for activities outside of the cordoned-off area was a woman who had drawn a beard on her face in support of Eurovision Song Contest winner and drag queen Conchita Wurst.

Contact the author at c.brennan@imedia.ru

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

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.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more