Gay Pride parade 'satanic'

[Pastor Dale Morgan]

*Perilous Times and Decaying Morality

Gay Pride parade 'satanic'*

From correspondents in Moscow

January 30, 2007 06:45am
Article from: Reuters

MOSCOW mayor Yuri Luzhkov branded Gay Pride parades a "satanic act"
today and vowed to stop any attempt by homosexuals to march through the
capital this year, it was reported.

Last year, objectors ranging from skinheads to Russian Orthodox
Christians attacked gay activists when they marched through Moscow in
defiance of a ban on the parade.

Organisers of last year's Gay Pride march have filed a suit at the
Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights against Russia for
banning last year's march, demanding €20,000 ($33,500) compensation,
Interfax news agency reported.
Gay Pride parades "can only be described as a satanic act", Interfax
quoted the 70-year-old Mr Luzhkov as saying.

"We did not allow that parade then, and we will not in the future," he said.

Russia decriminalised homosexuality in 1993. Tolerance is slowly rising,
with a handful of gay clubs opening in large cities since the Soviet
Union collapsed, but the country has no high-profile homosexual
politicians or business leaders.

Mr Luzhkov also attacked the West's growing support of gay rights and
equality.

"We think that destructive sects and propaganda of same-sex love are
inadmissible," he said of projects to promote gay rights in Russia.

Last year, police closed off the route to the Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier, where Gay Pride marchers had aimed to lay flowers, and detained
dozens of activists, including march organiser Nikolai Alexeyev.

Mr Alexeyev said he would sue Mr Luzhkov for his comments today "for
insulting me and the peaceful and democratic goals of the Gay Pride
parade", Interfax reported.

Mr Alexeyev could not be contacted for comment, but other leaders of
Moscow's homosexual community distanced themselves from him.

"This is a personal conflict between the organiser of last year's Gay
Pride event in Moscow, Alexeyev, and the mayor of Moscow," said Ed
Mishin, editor of the www.gay.ru website and Queer magazine.

"If somebody else organised the Moscow Gay Pride march, it would be
successful," Mr Mishin said, adding he was not aware of plans to stage a
march this year.