View Full Version : EU ‘Strongly’ Condemns Russia’s Anti-Gay Censorship
EU ‘Strongly’ Condemns Russia’s Anti-Gay Censorship
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The European Parliament on Tuesday adopted a resolution on the upcoming presidential election in Russia in which it clearly and “strongly” denounces Russia’s move to adopt laws banning the mention of homosexuality and gender identity under the guise of protecting children. The resolution, presented by five political groups, stresses that the EU:
Strongly condemns the adoption by the Legislative Assembly of St Petersburg of a law against propaganda on sexual orientation; equally condemns similar laws adopted in the Ryazan, Arkhangelsk and Kostroma regions; calls on all Russian authorities to stop restricting freedom of expression in relation to sexual orientation or gender identity, in line with the European Convention on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; calls on the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative to convey the European Union’s opposition to these laws; Sophie in ‘t Veld MEP, Vice-president of the LGBT Intergroup, is quoted as saying that Russia’s anti-gay censorship is unacceptable: “Tchaikovsky and Constantinovich must be rolling over in their graves. Such laws are simply unacceptable; if Russia isn’t serious about respecting the European Convention on Human Rights, it should simply call the bluff and leave the Council of Europe altogether. And more than statements, these grave human rights abuses must have consequences for the EU-Russia relationship.” The St Petersburg law is designed to prevent the “propaganda of sodomy, lesbianism, bisexualism and transgenderism” to minors. The legislation includes a ban on gay positive messages in public and would serve to virtually ban gay pride events. The law mandates a fine for contravening this law. For individuals there is a fine of 5,000 rubles ($170), and for officials 50,000 rubles ($1,725). The fine for legal entities has increased tenfold since the original version of the legislation, from 50,000 rubles to 500,000 rubles ($17,250). The resolution also condemns Russia for abridgments of religious freedom and civil right to assembly. The resolution goes on to condemn Russia’s opposition to sanctions on Syria and also highlights Parliament’s “concern” over ”the barring of opposition candidates from standing in the presidential elections on 4 March 2012, which is once more undermining political competition and pluralism.” The St. Petersburg Assembly approved the censorship bill at a second reading last Wednesday. It must now be approved a third time before it becomes law.
Moscow Now Proposing Anti-Gay Law
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After two regions and St. Petersberg proposed anti-gay laws, now it is Moscow’s turn.
Gazeta reports that the city authorities will adopt the St Petersberg ban on so-called ‘gay propaganda.’ Yes, we plan to adoption of this law in Moscow and now [are] just working on its development,” chairman of the Moscow City Council Committee on Health Care and Public Health, Lyudmila Stebenkova told the newspaper, adding that the
committee “commends the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg.
St. Petersburg’s authority has already passed the bill through its first reading, almost unanimously. The bill is proposed by Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party and, analysts say, will help shore up support for the party in a city where its poll numbers have been falling, as the ruling party’s have all over Russia. The bill would generate fines for “public actions, aimed at propagandizing sodomy, lesbianism, bisexuality, [and] transgenderness among minors.” It deliberately conflates homosexuality and pedophilia. The bill bans any LGBT public event, such as the existing film festival, but activists have questioned if it would ban even wearing a rainbow pin or any news report quoting openly gay people — or a performance of a Tchaikovsky symphony. Vitaly Milonov, the bill proposer, says that St. Petersberg is drowning under “a wave popularizing sexual perversion.” The Russian backlash on an increasingly visible LGBT movement — 52% of Russians are aware of the repeated attempts to stage a Pride march in Moscow — began in the region of Ryazan, south of Moscow, and earlier this year spread to the far-North region of Arkhangelsk. Activists now believe a federal law will follow. In an angry opinion piece for UK Gay News, the former organizer of Moscow Pride and the most well-known Russian gay activist, Nikolai Alekseev, who travelled to Arkhangelsk November 17 to publicly challenge the anti-gay propaganda law, calls such laws “cheap populism” and castigates his fellow gay Russians for being ‘asleep at the wheel’: In this country, you are taken seriously only if you constantly show your teeth. If you are too kind, people will not respect you simply because they will not be impressed by you. The basis is fear and not diplomacy. As Russian politicians like to tell us: “Go to the Gay Parade in Berlin, but not on our sacred land”. If you are Russian and gay, lesbian, bi or trans, you can only enjoy your human rights abroad.
And this is the problem.
Our Russian LGBT people … Their lack of motivation to defend their rights is not an act of cowardice; it is an absence of long term vision. As some start to wake up today in St. Petersburg to fight this law which will soon directly affect them, others will probably wake up when Russia re-criminalises homosexuality. Then, it will be too late.
Alekseev points to:
The European Court of Human Rights’ decision which found Russia guilty for banning Moscow Prides. Despite the decision which is obligatory, nothing changed. Moscow keeps banning the Pride. The Council of Europe stays silent. And argues for what Russia might listen to from overseas: You cannot be diplomatic with those who do not even respect their own words. Russia signed international conventions that no one forced her to accept. Either the country pulls out from these institutions, or it must respect their rules.
Think what would have happen in 1962 if JFK sent a letter of protest to Khrushchev instead of organising the blockade of Cuba. Do not forget history? Alekseev proposed that the EU “hit the Russian politicians where it will be painful for them” and ban homophobic politicians “from spending their holidays in Nice, Cyprus or Spain” and that Russia’s voting rights at the Council of Europe be suspended.
Russian Gay Activist Attacked While Police Look On
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Russian gay activist Bulet Barantaev has identified one of a group who attacked him and is demanding the police investigate. Barantaev is the head of the Novosibirsk (the largest city of Siberia) LGBT organization ‘Gordo’ and was beaten, stripped and had eggs thrown at him after returning from the Mayor’s office on October 10 after lodging another notice requesting permission to hold a public action. The attackers despite shouting “Oh, you fag!” easily escaped in spite of the presence of police. Russian authorities are known for refusing such notices but approving those of far-right Nationalists and Russian Orthodox religious groups calling for ‘death to gays.’ He found a photograph of the attacker on social media. Because the authorities knew he was coming to the Mayor’s office, says Barantaev:
“The attack itself was inspired by some of the people of the Municipality of Novosibirsk.”
Barantaev demonstrations in Novosibirsk are noted for calling for tolerance of gay teens, as well as talking about the prevalence of homosexuality in the animal world. The public action he was requesting permission for is called “All types of sexuality – are natural.”
They planned to provide information about the 2% to 25% of the different species of animals and birds who exhibit homosexual behaviour, and thus prove that homosexuality is a natural phenomenon and not a consequence of “fashion,” “propaganda “or “influence of debauchery” on television. The mayor of Novosibirsk, Vladimir Gorodetsky, a member of Vladimir Putin’s party, has called LGBT activists an “abomination.”
Mocking Cartoon Draws Orthodox Ire in Russia
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Russian gays have upset the Orthodox church with a satirical cartoon. And not for the first time. Last week I published a story about how the Northern Russian Arkhangelskaya Oblast region passed a law banning ‘gay propaganda,’ outlawing support for LGBT human rights. This was the second region to do so in a move which the Russian Supreme Court has previously allowed. That story was also about the hypocrisy involved, with the former mayor of the capital, Arkhangelsk, Aleksandr Donskoi, saying that many politicians and business people in the city use the services of transsexual prostitutes. That story was illustrated with the regional coat of arms, which shows the Archangel killing the Devil with a sword. The cartoon published by GayRussia.ru mocking the ‘gay propaganda’ law reverses the coat of arms, with the Devil – personifying homophobia – killing the Archangel.
Orthodox homophobes feel themselves insulted by such a “blasphemous, mocking cartoon.” This is the claim of the co-president of the “Narodnyi Sobor” movement, Oleg Kassin, in his letter to Russian General Attorney Yuri Chaika. Kassin wants the website closed down and its owners punished. Apparently the cartoon “extremely disturbs Christians, humiliates their dignity and insults their feelings”. The extreme religious nationalists group has used Russian law before to get artists fined. They have an English language website called ‘deviant art’ which well illustrates their nationalist politics. In 2007 they pushed for scientist Vitaly Ginzburg‘s prosecution for publicly criticizing the influence of the resurgent Orthodox Church in Russian schools. Fortunately, following previous online attacks which have shut down the website, GayRussia.ru is no longer physically located in Russia, so it can’t be shut down by Russian authorities. However its owners are in Russia, so the threat to them is real. The website has been here before. Another clerical nationalist group previously asked the authorities to investigate a cartoon published on the website picturing an orthodox priest and a neo-Nazi shaking hands. That cartoon illustrated the sort of crowds which appear at violently anti-gay demonstrations, approved by the authorities in Russia when pro-gay rallies are banned, which call for the death of homosexuals, amongst other things.
Pro-LGBT Rally in Moscow Attacked by Fascists
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A protest rally held in Moscow by a group of activists representing the LGBT, women’s, anti-fascist and left-wing movements ended in a violent confrontation with neo-Nazi groups on Saturday, October 1. According to Margaret, a member of the Raduga Association (Moscow), and a participant in the rally the goal of the event was to protest against chauvinistic populism as the trend of the current election campaign involving stigmatization and appeals for discrimination of the more vulnerable segments of the society.
There is a draft bill restricting women’s right to abortion in Russia’s parliament and ‘gay propaganda’ is now illegal in two regions. The protest was sanctioned by the Moscow government. Fascist groups had widely announced their intention to gather at the same place and “bathe in blood” the perceived “enemies of the Russian people.” One organizer was immediately arrested by the police solely for carrying a (yet unfolded) poster saying “Say No to Discrimination on the Basis of Gender and Sexual Orientation.”
The fascist and Orthodox group, which included several elderly men and women holding Orthodox icons and images of Russia’s last emperor Nicholas, tried to pelt the protesters with tomatoes but police held them back. One older counter-protester said:
“We wanted to see these demons, these beast in the flesh, for ourselves. It is because of them that God will punish the holy Russia and its people. They want to exterminate the holy nation of Russ.” Younger fascists chanted calls to beat, torture and exterminate gays — incitement which met with little reaction on the part of the police.
The main slogans of the protesters were: “We stand for the freedom of choice!”, “Free and Safe Motherhood – Children that are Loved and Needed – Happy Families” and “If you say embryo is human, why are women not human for you?” But when gay rights was mentioned, police began grabbing people from the rally. After it was finally decided to curtail the event ahead of scheduled time to prevent more protesters from being arrested, the activists had to be convoyed by the police to the metro station, surrounded by a raging crowd (see video). The police counteracted attempts by several able-bodied men to punch and kick young women, but several people later complained of bruises and minor injuries. The main organizer of the repeatedly banned Moscow Pride, Nicolas Alexeyev, noted inaccurate reports of the rally as “First Gay Pride was authorized in Moscow.”
“To date, the only LGBT event allowed in Moscow which was applied took place last year in front of the office of Swiss Air Lines.” This followed the bizarre and unexplained abduction of Alexeyev last year, which he claimed the airline abetted. Alexeyev pointed out that reports of Russian authorities allowing gay events have been used before by Russia to claim they are not banned. At the last appearance of Russia at the Universal Periodic Review by the UN Human Rights Committee, Russia was asked why they kept banning LGBT public events. “We do not ban them, there was a gay pride authorized in St. Petersberg,” answered the Russian delegation. Except, says Alexeyev, that what the delegation was referring to as a gay pride event was instead a rainbow ‘flash mob’ which was not authorized because no one had asked for permission. “At this time, no LGBT public action had ever been authorized,” he adds. By contrast, Moscow authorities have allowed numerous ‘death to gays’ rallies.
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