IGLYO @ Moscow Pride: Chaos in the streets
As you may already know, Moscow events were quite bad. Unfortunately public places are quite dangerous in here as 2 guys has been attacked after the events so it isn't safe to go outside.
The day began by a discussion on the Moscow Declaration from 9 to 11am and the press conference has started at 11:30.
Lots of journalist from all over the world was there to report on this historical event of
The organisers of Moscow Pride took the decision to don't do a demonstration but to 2 two events:
To invite all to meet in from of the "unknown soldier" statute at 14:30 and put some flower at its feet
To walk silently and peacefully (without any sign of demonstration, no rainbow, etc.) to the mayor office, to be there at 15:00 and gives Moscow's Mayor an Appeal sign by people from all over the world attending this event.
But as you can easily guess it didn't happen this way at all…
I went to the place at 13:30 to find a safe place to monitor it (as planned), but hundreds of policeman were there already, they were doing a line all around the area of the place and as closed for everybody the entrance to the Unknown Soldier monument.
None of the events took place. 30 to 40 participants came to the meeting point. Shortly after we showed up also Nikolai Alekseiev (Head of Gayrussia.ru, the Organiser of this Event), and the representative of Paris Mayor have been arrested, together with about 7-10 others.
The Police made a line between the 30 participants and the hundreds (I think a bit more than 500) of homophobes counter demonstrating (Orthodox and skinheads). The few participants tried to go anyway to the Mayor office …
The police instead of protecting our smaller group mixed up LGBT people and homophobes together by pushing everybody in the same place, as they didn't want to let any meeting to take place in front of the mayor office.
I saw one policeman bashing TV journalist that was not moving fast enough and they arrest few people that were taking pictures of the police. Also the German-greens depute, Volker Beck has been bashed by homophobes while he was giving an interview in front of cameras and journalists. We heard no policeman intervened but to arrest him, not his attacker after few minutes.
Homophobes started singing and yelling "Moscow is not Sodomy" just in front of the City hall, so Evgenia ebryanskaya (co-organiser of this event) went just next to them to claim equal right and equality (it was really courageous!). But they started throwing liquids (I don't know was it was) and eggs at her and the police arrived and arrest her really brutally, she fell on the floor, so they carried her to the police truck.
Then other hundred of homophobes arrived there, so everybody started to leave the place, even the journalist and people around (it was scary and dangerous as well, I received some eggs myself…). The few LGBT participants there escaped as they could to the next underground station, bars or shops. At the end only homophobes were staying in the street and demonstrating!
Few people have been attacked (even after the event and even right now, in fact all the gay places in Moscow are closed) and went to the hospital.