MOSCOW – Police dispersed a gay rally Tuesday and detained at least a dozen protesters in the Russian capital.
The two dozen demonstrators had been protesting the policies of Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, who has called homosexuals “satanic” and thwarted attempts to hold a gay pride rally in the city.
Police detained most, if not all, of those participating in Tuesday’s rally, which was held without a required permit near city hall.
The activists handcuffed themselves to a monument for the 13th-century Russian prince who founded Moscow, displayed a papier-mache mummy resembling Luzhkov and unfurled posters ridiculing the mayor and his billionaire wife, Yelena Baturina.
The activists said they objected to Luzhkov’s recent use of the word “fag,” and a court’s subsequent ruling that the word could not be deemed offensive.
Homosexuality was decriminalized in Russia in 1993, but anti-gay feelings remain strong. The country’s dominant Orthodox Church condemns gay lifestyle, and Orthodox activists have participated in dispersing previous gay rallies. (AP)
