May 16, 2007News: “Gay blood” Will Be Spilled, Say Orthodox Christian Organisations
By vanrozenheim
(Moscow, Russia) – German Green Party MP Volker Beck has praised the cooperation between the organisers of Moscow Gay Pride and Russian State Duma deputy Alexey Mitrofanov. The openly gay German politician, ‘chief whip’ of the Greens in the Bundestag, suffered cuts to the face after an attack on him during last year’s Moscow Pride. And in today’s Kommersant newspaper is a report that representatives from Orthodox Christian organisations had said that they would “spill gay blood” if the Pride parade was permitted.
“Russia should accept its Human Rights obligations,” he said today in a statement issued in Germany.
“This means that everybody has the right to assembly peacefully even if the government or a majority in population is opposing the issue. This is what democracy is all about.
“Everybody who is supporting such a human rights perspective and who is defending the rights of gay people, ethnic minorities and foreigner rights is welcome.”
Mr. Beck paid tribute to Mr. Mitrofanov, the first Duma member to support the right of assembly for the Gay Pride.
“Other Duma members – and Russian politicians – should follow,” he said.
Mr. Beck dismissed claims in some reports that he had condemned the intervention of Mr. Mitrofanov and his support for Pride.
“Until today, I have made no comment on this cooperation,” he pointed out. “Therefore the suggestion that I have condemned it is without any substance.”
Moscow Pride organizer Nikolai Alekseev welcomed the statement of support from Volker Beck and expressed the hope that German politician will take part in this year’s gay pride in Russia’s capital.
At the same time Mr. Alekseev emphasised that “none of the organizers of Moscow Pride have received any official responses from Moscow authorities concerning the notification to stage a gay pride march.”
Reports in the Russian press today said that the Moscow city authorities had again banned the march.
The Kommersant newspaper reported today that the Moscow city government denied permission on Tuesday for gay rights activists to hold a parade in the city center on May 27, saying the demonstration would violate the rights and freedoms of other citizens.
The head of city security told the newspaper that the mayor’s office had received many letters from Muscovites in recent weeks urging officials to prohibit the parade.
“The representative of Moscow City government Nikolai Kulikov who stated told the media that he had met with the Pride organisers and handed them the official ban is lying,” Mr. Alekseev claimed.
“It is Mr. Kulikov who is misleading the public and the media.”
He also said that he talked today with an official in the office of the Russian President and that they “are working” on the application to conduct a small Gay Pride event in Alexandrovski Garden.
A reply “can be expected early next week”, Mr. Alekseev was told.
