Hundreds of protestors attended for a demonstration outside the Russian Embassy in London against Putin’s increasing persecution of our LGBTQ community & in solidarity with LGBTQ Russians who are fighting back. The rally was jointly organized by All Out & the Peter Tatchell Foundation. It was one of 13 Speak Out rallies in cities worldwide from New York to Sao Paulo, Berlin, Bangalore & Taipei. Peter Tatchell stated, “This Global Speak Out is in solidarity with Russia’s beleaguered LGBT+ community; to show that they are not alone or forgotten. We salute them. Russia’s decision to label the ‘international public LGBT+ movement’ as extremist has led to a wave of repression. A woman was jailed for wearing rainbow earrings. Gay venues have been raided by police armed with semi-automatic weapons, with attendees being insulted, shoved, photographed, made to lie face down on the floor & then arrested. The rainbow flag has been declared a forbidden symbol & already people have been fined for posting it on social media. The new law applies retrospectively to past displays of the rainbow flag. A person found guilty of displaying extremist group symbols faces up to 15 days in detention for the first offence & up to four years in prison for a repeat offence. Participating in, or financing, an extremist organization is punishable by up to 12 years in prison. LGBT+ support groups have had to go underground to avoid arrest. The situation for LGBT+ people within Russia has reached a critical point, with many fearing worse to come. Facing increased danger, it has become too dangerous for many LGBTs to remain in Russia. Some have fled overseas & more are preparing to leave.”
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