Moscow Pride
The Moscow Pride ( Russian Московский Гей-Прайд, Moskovsky Gej-Prajd ) is a demonstration of the lesbian , gay , bisexual , transgender , short LGBT and their supporters. It has been scheduled to take place in May in the Russian capital Moscow since 2006 , but has been regularly banned by the city administration, led by Mayor Yuri Luzhkov . The demonstrations in 2006, 2007 and 2008 were all accompanied by homophobic attacks, which were prevented in 2009 by rescheduling the demonstration at the last minute. The organizer of all the demonstrations was Nikolai Alexeyev and the group around him, Gayrussia.ru . In 2009, the "Slavic Pride" took place in Moscow for the first time after activists from Russia and Belarus agreed to host Moscow Pride together.
Moscow Pride 2006
The demonstration was supposed to take place for the first time on May 27, 2006 and lead from Moscow's main post office via Myasnitskaya Street to Lubyanka Square. The date commemorates the legalization of homosexuality in Russia on May 27, 1993. The organizer was the Moscow filmmaker and head of the human rights group Project Gayrussia.ru , Nikolai Alexejew. He worked with the Paris- based International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) committee.
Applications for permission have been submitted to the Moscow city council and Russian President Vladimir Putin . Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, however, declined to approve the event. At a mayors' meeting in Berlin in February 2006, he declared that homosexuality was "unnatural" . He later threatened: "If a homosexual parade were to take place in Moscow, its participants would be in great danger because they could be harmed by the negative mood of the Muscovites."
On May 27, 2006, however, a small open-air gathering of gay activists took place in Moscow, against which the Moscow militia intervened. May 27, 2006 marked the 13th anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexual acts in Russia. There were two confrontations, the first at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin , where flowers were to be laid. The second near the Moscow City Hall. While he gave an interview, the German Bundestag were Volker Beck ( Alliance 90 / The Greens ) and the British human rights activist Peter Tatchell beaten on a violation of the agreements signed by Russia ECHR wanted to draw attention (ECHR), the Russian Federation in Ratified in 1998.
The GayRussia project sponsored a documentary entitled Moscow Pride '06 , which shows the events surrounding the first "Moscow Pride".
Moscow Pride 2007
The second demonstration was scheduled to take place on May 27, 2007. The organizer was again Nikolai Alexejew. The Russian pop duo tATu and the British pop group Right Said Fred had announced their support. The event was again banned by the Moscow City Council. Moscow's Mayor Luzhkov called Moscow Pride in January 2007 a "Satanshow" . President Putin said at Moscow Pride 2007 that homosexuality contributed to the "demographic problem" , a population decline in Russia.
40 European parliamentarians signed a protest resolution. When MEPs Sophie in 't Veld , Vladimir Luxuria , Marco Cappato , Bundestag MP Volker Beck, members of Tatu and Right Said Fred wanted to hand over the resolution in front of Moscow City Hall together with around 100 LGBT activists, they were met by a large contingent of people Militia and OMON were prevented from doing so and eggs and tomatoes were pelted by nationalist and religious counter-demonstrators. Russian participants in Moscow Pride have been charged by Moscow prosecutors with resisting state power and violating traffic regulations . The Russian militia made no attempt to protect the activists from violence and disbanded the activists' gathering. British human rights activist Peter Tatchell was attacked and slapped in the face. The Lord Mayor of Rome, Walter Veltroni , said of the events: "What is happening in Moscow leaves you speechless. It is a bad sign to use or tolerate violence against those who are peaceful for their human rights and civil rights enter."
This demonstration was also the central theme in the film East / West - Sex & Politics by Jochen Hick , which shows the organization of this demonstration and the formal ban by the Moscow City Council.
Moscow Pride 2008
The organizers, among them again Nikolai Alexejew , have registered five demonstrations at different locations in Moscow for May 2008 for each day in May. According to some gay information portals, the President of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Medvedev , called the Prefect of the Central Moscow District and instructed him to authorize this demonstration, but all demonstrations were forbidden. Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov commented: "You (the organizers) will jeopardize public order and provoke a negative reaction from the majority of the population." The organizers have opened a case against all 155 banned demonstrations at the European Court of Human Rights after losing in all instances in Russian courts. Nevertheless, a demonstration took place on June 1, 2008: First a protest by around 30 activists at the memorial of the deceased composer Tchaikovsky , later a banner with the inscription “Rights for gays and lesbians. Yuri Luzhkov's Homophobia Should Be Punished “, which hung from the third floor of a window opposite Moscow City Hall.
Slavic Pride 2009
The event, which was again not approved, took place on the day of the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 . It was jointly organized by activists from Russia (group gayrussia) and Belarus (group gaybelarus) under the title "Slavic Pride". Apart from Peter Tatchell and Andy Thayer, activists of the gay movement from Chicago , only activists from Russia and Belarus took part this time.
All 20 or so participants were arrested, including the human rights activist Nikolai Alexejew and the human rights activist Peter Tatchell . He described the action of the Moscow militia as "unnecessarily violent". Others who tried to interview journalists present were also arrested. The Associated Press news agency reported that journalists who tried to cover the incidents were threatened with arrests and evicted by force. The event itself was under the motto "gay equality - no compromise", the main requirement was permission to enter into same-sex marriages.
The organization United Orthodox Youth has raised the motto Slavic Gay Pride is an act of spiritual terrorism . A senior representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in an interview described the event as a manifestation of sin and the sinful way of life and said that one should not follow the example of some countries that have forgotten that they were once Christian. The pastor advised gays to experience it as suffering and to strive to get rid of it if they want to be redeemed from sin. Many people in society have described Luzhkov's position as wise. The press release of the government-authorized march of the United Orthodox Youth stated that a 21st century Kulukovo battle was under way and that the temples and streets where the Crusades and the victors of World War II marched from cannot be allowed to leave Deviant ( sic ) are desecrated, the appearance of which is perceived by the majority of the population as a challenge. During the march they called out: Death to the Antichrist .
Some embassies from EU member states , namely those from Sweden , Great Britain , the Netherlands and Finland , had been invited by the organizers to observe the incidents but found no reason for diplomatic action. The activists later condemned this: "It is obviously easier for EU embassies to act in small countries like Latvia, but if something happens in Russia then things are different."
The Dutch television was considering to get out because of these violations of fundamental rights such as freedom of expression, speech and press freedom, from the transfer of Euro Vision Song Contest.
Politicians like the green member of the Bundestag Volker Beck and artists like Guildo Horn condemned the actions of the Russian state.
Samuel Žbogar , current (as of July 2009) Foreign Minister of Slovenia and Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe , expressed his concern on the same evening about actions taken against the organizers of Slavic Pride: "Based on the established case law of the European Court of Justice for human rights , peaceful demonstrations cannot be banned simply because of attitudes towards the demonstrators or their objectives that are hostile. The fact that this is not the first time raises the concern of the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers. "
Slavic Pride 2010
Russian activists organized the second Slavic Pride in Minsk , Belarus on May 15, 2010 , which the Belarusian authorities banned a week earlier.
Moscow Pride 2010
The Moscow Pride 2010 took place on May 29, 2010 as always without a permit.
Moscow Pride 2011
Approval for Moscow Pride 2011 was requested from the Moscow authorities on April 12, 2011, one day after the European Court of Human Rights upheld the ruling that banning the event was in violation of the Convention on Human Rights. On April 26, 2011, the Moscow City Council approved the demonstration. However, this was contradicted a day later, as the demonstration also requires a permit from the regional security authority and it is questionable whether such a permit will be issued.
The hiccup over the approval of Moscow Pride has sparked heated discussions that generated global attention.
Slavic Pride 2011
Slavic Pride 2011 will take place on June 25, 2011 in Saint Petersburg , Russia .
Moscow Pride 2012
It was planned to hold Moscow Pride 2012 on the day of the presidential election in March 2012.
Strategies / goals of the activists
Freedom of speech / freedom of assembly
The main argument made by the activists can be seen to be that they invoke their right to freedom of assembly and freedom of expression . Both rights are enshrined in the Constitution of the Russian Federation (Chapter Two, Articles 29 and 31) as well as in the European Convention on Human Rights (CETS 005, Articles 10 and 11) and in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Articles 19 and 20) .
Final judgments from the European Court of Human Rights
After a gay pride in Warsaw was banned in 2004 and 2005 by the then mayor of the city of Warsaw, Lech Kaczynski , the organizers of this demonstration, known locally as Parada Równości , appealed to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg . In May 2007 Poland, represented here by Lech Kaczynski, was found guilty of violating the human right to freedom of assembly, among other things. The subsequent Gay Prides in Warsaw were much more peaceful. This judgment was used by the organizers of Moscow Pride (Slavic Pride) as a reference for the cases they opened.
On September 17, 2009, the European Court of Human Rights opened three proceedings against Russia. Russia had until January 20, 2010 to comment on the ban on Moscow Pride in 2006, 2007 and 2008. After consulting the Russian authorities, Russia was given until February 20 to comment. In their statement, the authorities replied that they saw no reason to negotiate a compromise with the organizers of Gay Pride. All demonstrations were banned in compliance with the requirements of the European Convention on Human Rights. The safety of those taking part in such a demonstration could not be guaranteed, as many Muscovites had a negative attitude towards the demonstration. The Russian authorities refer to other judgments of the European Court of Human Rights from the 1970s and 1980s, which also refer to "public morality".
On October 21, 2010, the judgment was passed that the Moscow authorities' restriction of the freedom to demonstrate was recognized as contrary to the Convention and that the CSD organizer Nikolai Aleksejew was awarded around € 30,000 in compensation for the discrimination suffered and for the costs of the proceedings. On January 21, 2011, this judgment was challenged by Russia. The complaint was rejected on April 11, 2011, and the verdict was confirmed and finalized.
Strategy of visibility
Moscow Pride gives activists broad access to the mass media in both Russia and Western Europe. The "Slavic Pride" 2009 was commented on by individual activists as follows:
"The aim is to embarrass the government as much as possible if they try to arrest us and allow neo-Nazis to attack us." Andy Thayer from Chicago , a few days before Slavic Pride.
His words about taking part in the demonstration: "After saying a sentence or two to praise the bravery of activists from Belarus and Russia, I began to talk about how violating gay and lesbian rights is an issue for all Russians is because it is an attack on the democratic freedoms of all Russians. That is exactly where OMON troops came and grabbed me and carried me away to make my arguments more effective than I could ever do with words. "
Peter Tatchell spoke about why you should be visible in the mass media: "The Russian media has been full of reports on gay topics for the past week. This has significantly increased public awareness and understanding of homosexual people. Slowly we are eroding homophobic attitudes Through the visibility in the mass media we are helping to normalize the existence of homosexual people. After our successful protests in Moscow since 2006, people are no longer shocked by homosexuality. We still have a long way to go, but slowly let's conquer the hearts of the people, especially the young Russians. (...) All in all, it was a PR disaster for Russia and the Moscow authorities, ensuring that the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 will forever with the brutality of the police, the Government homophobia and the suppression of peaceful protest. "
See also
Web links
- Moscow Pride website (en, ru)
- Website of the Internet project "Gayrussia.ru", (en), (ru)
- Website of the Internet project "Gaybelarus.by", (en), (by)
- Pink-News: Eyewitness report of the prevented Moscow Pride 2007 (en)
- Background report on Slavic Pride 2009 (de)
- YouTube video: Russian police break up the demonstration on May 16, 2006
Individual evidence
- ↑ Moscow: OB Luschkow describes the gay parade as a "Satanshow". Retrieved July 30, 2009 .
- ^ Police in Russia have broken up a protest by gay rights activists in Moscow. Retrieved July 30, 2009 .
- ↑ Behind the Scenes - Story Of 2009 Gay Pride in Moscow by Andy Thayer. Retrieved July 30, 2009 .
- ^ Slavic Gay Pride will unite Belarusian and Russian activists. Retrieved July 30, 2009 .
- ^ RIA Novosti: Russia - not ready for a homosexual revolution
- ^ Simplified Chart of Signatures and Ratifications. Retrieved July 30, 2009 .
- ↑ Melee at Moscow Pride: Parade Ends with Violence, Injuries Arrests. Retrieved July 30, 2009 .
- ↑ Moskva. Pride '06. Retrieved July 30, 2009 .
- ↑ RIA Novosti: Moscow: Mayor Luschkow calls gay parade a "Satanshow"
- ↑ Catholic News Agency: Putin: Homosexuals are part of a 'demographic problem'
- ↑ Hamburger Abendblatt: First eggs flew, then Russian protective custody followed
- ↑ Eggs and punches at Russia gay march. Retrieved July 30, 2009 .
- ↑ Aussie bashed at gay protest. Retrieved July 30, 2009 .
- ^ East / West - Sex & Politics (2008). Retrieved July 30, 2009 .
- ^ Russian President intervenes over Moscow Pride. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on December 12, 2008 ; Retrieved August 19, 2009 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Video Moscow Pride 2008 on YouTube. Retrieved July 30, 2009 .
- ^ Third Moscow Gay Pride to Take Place on June 1. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on June 2, 2008 ; Retrieved July 30, 2009 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Eurofire.blog.de: Alexejew: Moscow Gay Pride 2009 on the ESC final day ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ GayRussia.ru: Moscow Pride Organizers Ask Spain and Slovenia to Help Solve Freedom of Assembly Issue ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Peter Tatchell: Thank you Mayor Luzhkov. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on June 2, 2009 ; accessed on August 1, 2009 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ "Объединенная православная молодежь" озвучит комплекс мер по противодействию "гео-параду" вейМквеквекве
- ↑ «Евровидение» привезет в Москву контрабандный гей-парад
- ↑ The attempt to hold Pride is an act of spiritual terrorism, according to the Orthodox organizations in Interfax
- ↑ Glory to Christ! Death to the Antichrist!
- ^ Police Forcefully Break Up Gay Rights Protest. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on May 26, 2009 ; accessed on July 30, 2009 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Gay protest broken up in Moscow. Retrieved July 30, 2009 .
- ↑ Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers: Slovenia - May to November 2009. Archived from the original on June 19, 2009 ; accessed on July 30, 2009 .
- ^ Slovenia Expresses Concern Over Moscow Gay Pride Parade. Retrieved July 30, 2009 .
- ↑ Ban of Minsk Slavic Gay Pride Challenged in Belarusian Court. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on May 5, 2011 ; Retrieved May 2, 2011 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Minsk Authorities Ban Next Weekend's Slavic Gay Pride. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on May 5, 2011 ; Retrieved May 2, 2011 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ В Москве впервые разрешен гей-прайд. (No longer available online.) April 26, 2011, archived from the original on May 5, 2011 ; Retrieved May 2, 2011 (Russian). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Is next Month's Moscow Pride Allowed or Banned? (No longer available online.) April 27, 2011, archived from the original on May 3, 2011 ; accessed on May 2, 2011 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Main Russian Search Portal Yandex.Ru: Gay Pride in Moscow is the main topic of discussions in the Russian blogosphere. (No longer available online.) April 28, 2011, archived from the original on May 3, 2011 ; accessed on May 2, 2011 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Slavic LGBT Pride Saint-Petersburg. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on August 25, 2011 ; accessed on May 2, 2011 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Московский гей-прайд 2012 года может пройти в день президентских выборов. (No longer available online.) April 27, 2011, archived from the original on May 5, 2011 ; Retrieved May 2, 2011 (Russian). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms as amended by Protocol No. 11 - only the English and French versions are binding. Retrieved July 30, 2009 .
- ↑ CASE OF BĄCZKOWSKI AND OTHERS v. POLAND. Retrieved July 30, 2009 .
- ↑ European Court of Human Rights Gives Russia Four Months to Answer Moscow Gay Prides Bans. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on February 24, 2012 ; Retrieved October 14, 2009 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ ECHR Search portal communicated cases. Archived from the original on April 4, 2012 ; Retrieved October 14, 2009 .
- ^ Text of the Memorandum Russian authorities in Russian. Retrieved March 2, 2010 .
- ↑ Alekseyev v. Russia. October 21, 2010, accessed May 2, 2011 .
- ^ Victory for Russian LGBT activists at the European Court of Human Rights. (No longer available online.) April 11, 2011, archived from the original on May 5, 2011 ; accessed on May 2, 2011 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Human Rights Court confirms the right to demonstrate for Russia's LGBT community. (No longer available online.) April 18, 2011, archived from the original on May 5, 2011 ; Retrieved May 2, 2011 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Gay Pride in Moscow: Report from Andy Thayer, a Chicago Activist. Retrieved August 1, 2009 .
- ↑ Behind the Scenes - Story Of 2009 Gay Pride in Moscow by Andy Thayer. Retrieved August 1, 2009 .
- ↑ Slavic Pride: Thank You Mayor Luzhkov by Peter Tatchell. Retrieved August 1, 2009 .
