tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331361569911408612.post3808976640779380864..comments2024-03-27T17:21:24.219-04:00Comments on OUTTAKE BLOG™: Moscow Gay Pride Erupts in Gay BashingsCharlotte Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13409719695261294226noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331361569911408612.post-69192746561580141432011-05-29T06:36:07.080-04:002011-05-29T06:36:07.080-04:00I went to City Hall to protest but was separated f...I went to City Hall to protest but was separated from our Gay Pride group. Neo-Nazis identified me for attack. Being alone and with the police refusing to protect us, I had to escape down side streets and alleyways to avoid a beating. A total of 18 gay rights protesters - 15 of them Russian - were arrested, as they tried to stage the banned Moscow Gay Pride parade. We witnessed a high level of fraternization and collusion between neo-Nazis and the Moscow police. I saw neo-Nazis leave and re-enter police buses parked on Tverskaya Street by City Hall. Our suspicion is that many of the neo-Nazis were actually plainclothes police officers, who did to us what their uniformed colleagues dared not do in front of the world's media. Either that, or the police were actively facilitating the right-wing extremists with transport to the protest. During the Second World War, Muscovites stood against the Nazis. Now the Mayor of Moscow is colluding with neo-Nazis. He gave the neo-Nazi groups permission to stage a protest calling for violence against gay people, while denying Moscow Gay Pride a permit to rally for gay equality.<br /><br />Peter Tatchell British Gay ActivistPeter Tatchellnoreply@blogger.com