Thirty Russian queer activists staged Moscow’s first uninterrupted Pride march on May 29, in defiance of a city ban.
For 10 minutes, activists carried a 20-metre rainbow flag. Unlike attempts in past years, no arrests or bashings were reported.
How did they do it?
“The guerrilla-style hit-and-run Moscow Gay Pride march was over before
the police arrived,” says British gay activist Peter Tatchell, who attended the parade in support. “When they turned up, officers scurried around
aimlessly, searching for protesters to arrest. All escaped the police
dragnet.
“All morning the Gay Pride organizers fed the police a steady stream of
false information, via blogs and websites, concerning the location of
the parade. They suggested that it would take place outside the EU
Commission’s offices. As a result, the police put the whole area in
total lockdown, closing nearby streets and metro stations, in a bid
to prevent protesters assembling there.”
Organizers have asked permission to hold the march every year since 2006, and each time, they’ve been rejected by authorities. Courts have upheld the ban and rejected appeals. Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov has described Pride parades as “satanic.”
Watch a short video of the May 29 march, featuring comment from Tatchell:
Read more:
- Technology links gays in Montreal and Moscow
- The new Russian queer activism
- Moscow gays trick police (2008)
- Moscow’s first Pride ends in violence (2006)
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