Putin Signs Anti-Gay Law Amid Clashes in St. Petersburg

Jim Burroway

June 30th, 2013

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law a measure which effectively bans all advocacy for LGBT people:

The law introduces fines of up to 5,000 rubles ($166) for citizens who disseminate information “directed at forming non-traditional sexual setup” in minors or which may cause a “distorted understanding” that gay and heterosexual relations are “socially equivalent”, the publication showed.

The fines go up to as much as 200,000 rubles ($6,600) for officials if such “propaganda” is disseminated through the media or internet. Foreigners will not only be fined but face administrative arrest up to 15 days and eventual deportation, the law says. Organisations face fines of up to 1 million rubles and shutdown of their activity for 90 days.

Meanwhile, a pro-gay Pride march in St. Petersburg was violently broken up by police and Russian nationalists:

Media reports estimated that several dozens of LGBT activists came to the Field of Mars (Marsovo Pole) in the city’s downtown to rally for gay people’s rights in Russia. The event was attended by some 200 of anti-gay activists urging to ban the rally and throwing eggs at their opponents.

“After the complaints of local residents, representatives of the local administration and the police warned the protestors that their protest was illegal and asked them to leave,” a police spokesperson said. Police officers then broke up the protest and arrested dozens of gay rights activists, the spokesman added.

The Russian LGBT network said on its Facebook page Saturday that several activists were beaten up by their opponents during the event, and more than 50 were held by the police. Eight of the anti-gay activists were detained as well, the police said. One of the police officers was injured while trying to detain an anti-gay activist, local Fonatanka.Ru news website reported.

The AP reports that “About 200 nationalists also gathered at the rally, chanting slogans such as ‘Sodomy will not pass,’ and throwing eggs and rocks at the gay-rights activists, who numbered about 40.”

Hyhybt

June 30th, 2013

I am glad to live where banning advocacy is (pun unintended) a foreign concept. Why it isn’t one everywhere is something so much the wrong shape that it just won’t fit into my head.

Désirée

July 1st, 2013

Places like Russia with this kind of offensive anti-gay laws need to become the new Sun City, boycotted and shunned by all artists and entertainers from the West, who should be vocal about why they won’t play there.

Lord_Byron

July 1st, 2013

Russia needs to be boycotted and cut off from the rest of the world. They want to live like it’s the 19th century well the rest of the country can live like that as well. They are no longer a super power and only exercise their power by backing dictators.

SharonB

July 2nd, 2013

A good place for all of the authoritarian teavangelicals to self deport to, it seems.

Darina

July 2nd, 2013

“This article contains information not suitable for readers younger than 18 years of age, according to Russian legislation.” I cant’t decide if this is subtle trolling or a honest attempt to cover themselves against a law that prohibits… nobody knows what exactly, if you look at the actual text. So now the arrest of gay-rights activists is 18+ information?
http://en.ria.ru/russia/20130702/182015120/Police-Detain-4-Gay-Rights-Activists-in-Central-Moscow.html

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