British gay rights campaigner briefly held in Moscow over protest

[webfact]

British gay rights campaigner briefly held in Moscow over protest

By Polina Ivanova and Andrew Osborn

 

Veteran British LGBT rights campaigner Peter Tatchell is detained by police officers during a one-man protest to draw attention to what he said were appalling human rights abuses committed against gay men in Chechnya, in central Moscow, Russia June 14, 2018. REUTERS/Glab Garanich

 

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian police briefly detained veteran British campaigner Peter Tatchell in Moscow on Thursday after he attempted to hold a one-man protest near the Kremlin in support of gay rights on the first day of the World Cup.

 

At the opening ceremony on Thursday, President Vladimir Putin spoke of showing the world a hospitable Russia and stressed sport's ability to build bridges and overcome differences.

 

Tatchell's protest, held three hours before the ceremony, involved the activist unfurling a small banner near the Kremlin's walls calling attention to what his foundation described as Russia's mistreatment of LGBT+ people.

 

"President Putin has failed to condemn and act against the homophobic witch-hunts in Chechnya, which have seen scores of LGBT+ people arrested and tortured, with some even being killed," Tatchell said in a statement. He said he had been detained in Russia twice before.

 

Two men from Chechnya, a deeply conservative Muslim region of Russia, told Reuters last year they had been detained by police and subjected to torture because they were gay.

 

A Russian newspaper said several detainees had been killed. Chechen authorities said all such allegations were false.

 

Russian police quickly shut the protest down, with one officer telling Tatchell to stop what he was doing.

 

"During the World Cup it is forbidden to hold any action like this against Putin, against all these things," the policeman said. Tatchell told the policeman he wanted to meet Putin to discuss gay rights in Russia.

 

The activist said he spent an hour and 40 minutes in police custody before being released.

 

"Senior officers were stern but the apprehending officer very helpful, friendly and polite," the campaigner said, adding he was receiving support from the British embassy.

 

Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson later wrote on Twitter: "Pleased to hear @PeterTatchell is well, and my thanks to our consular staff in Moscow at @ukinrussia for providing speedy support to him."

 

Tatchell said he was required to appear in court on June 26, accused of breaking a federal law on the holding of public meetings and demonstrations, as well as a presidential decree that prohibits protests during the World Cup.

 

Piara Powar, executive director of European anti-discrimination network FARE, opened a temporary diversity centre in Moscow on Thursday to support soccer fans worried about any racism or homophobia.

 

Tunde Aderibigbe, head of protocol for Nigeria's football federation, said he believed the Russian government had done its best to deal with the issue of racism.

 

"We have been meeting a lot of (fans) and they are very cheerful. There hasn't been any cause to think there is going to be something like that," he said.

 

(Additional reporting by Elizabeth Piper; Writing by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Alison Williams and Andrew Heavens)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-06-15

[Yann55]

 

Well... knowing what the context is like in Russia towards gays, this guy sure has a pair !!

 

 

Edited June 15, 2018 by Yann55

[Rigby40]

I bet these snowflakes care about free speech rights now.

Edited June 15, 2018 by Rigby40

[Ulic]

Why is this guy not protesting in Chechnya?

[overherebc]

I don't care what anyones sexual orientation is, it's their life not mine.

What this guy is doing, in my mind, is similar to going up to a lion to convince it to become vegetarian and hoping others will help him out when it goes wrong.

[Jingthing]

5 hours ago, Yann55 said:

 

Well... knowing what the context is like in Russia towards gays, this guy sure has a pair !!

 

 

Yes, and here is some context to this.

FIFA should have never gifted the World Cup to dictator Putin in the first place, nor Qatar (where homosexuality is illegal). 

 

Quote

Russians tell gay World Cup fans: ‘You’ll be hunted down and stabbed’

https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/05/28/fifa-world-cup-2018-russia-gay-fans-stabbed/

 

Quote

Report: Gay Couple Attacked in Russia While Visiting for World Cup

 

https://www.advocate.com/crime/2018/6/14/report-gay-couple-attacked-russia-while-visiting-world-cup

Edited June 15, 2018 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

37 minutes ago, overherebc said:

I don't care what anyones sexual orientation is, it's their life not mine.

What this guy is doing, in my mind, is similar to going up to a lion to convince it to become vegetarian and hoping others will help him out when it goes wrong.

Yeah, sure dude.

If everyone had such a wilting attitude about fighting for civil rights, Martin Luther King would have never marched from Selma to Montgomery. 

 

[overherebc]

4 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Yeah, sure dude.

If everyone had such a wilting attitude about fighting for civil rights, Martin Luther King would have never marched from Selma to Montgomery. 

 

The colour of your skin doesn't determine your sexual orientation. 

Martin Luther King was fighting for equality for coloured people not the rights of lbgt coloured people. Not quite the same thing.

[Jingthing]

9 minutes ago, overherebc said:

The colour of your skin doesn't determine your sexual orientation. 

Martin Luther King was fighting for equality for coloured people not the rights of lbgt coloured people. Not quite the same thing.

You're making stuff up now and twisting them in silly ways.

Try harder if you want a serious discussion.

To me it now sounds like you don't recognize that LGBT are oppressed in many nations and that is simply not true. 

MLK led a civil rights movement largely about black civil rights including all black people.

The international LGBT civil rights movement is about civil rights for LGBT people, including black LGBT people. 

A good time since you went there to remember this Bayard Rustin --

 

"I appeal to everyone who believes in Martin Luther King's dream," King's widow, Coretta Scott King, said in a 1998 speech, "to make room at the table of brother and sisterhood for lesbian and gay people." While other leaders of '60s-era civil rights movement may have rejected homosexuality in their midst, King gave Rustin a seat at the table.

 

https://mic.com/articles/108730/meet-the-gay-activist-behind-martin-luther-king-jr-s-civil-rights-movement

 

 

Edited June 15, 2018 by Jingthing

[overherebc]

5 hours ago, Jingthing said:

You're making stuff up now and twisting them in silly ways.

Try harder if you want a serious discussion.

To me it now sounds like you don't recognize that LGBT are oppressed in many nations and that is simply not true. 

MLK led a civil rights movement largely about black civil rights including all black people.

The international LGBT civil rights movement is about civil rights for LGBT people, including black LGBT people. 

A good time since you went there to remember this Bayard Rustin --

 

"I appeal to everyone who believes in Martin Luther King's dream," King's widow, Coretta Scott King, said in a 1998 speech, "to make room at the table of brother and sisterhood for lesbian and gay people." While other leaders of '60s-era civil rights movement may have rejected homosexuality in their midst, King gave Rustin a seat at the table.

 

https://mic.com/articles/108730/meet-the-gay-activist-behind-martin-luther-king-jr-s-civil-rights-movement

 

 

When I worked in Saudi it was illegal for women to drive, might still be, I'm not sure. One thing I am sure about is that I wouldn't have gone out on the street to protest about it.

Following your arguements on freedom etc when can we see you on the streets of BKK protesting against any Thai law.

Some things I can do in UK I can't do here, but, it's my choice to be here so I live with it, I don't protest or try to change it.

[Bluespunk]

17 hours ago, webfact said:

Russian police briefly detained veteran British campaigner Peter Tatchell in Moscow on Thursday after he attempted to hold a one-man protest near the Kremlin in support of gay rights on the first day of the World Cup.

Good man, putin can’t disappear Tatchell during the World Cup.

 

Unlike those Russians who dare protest his homophobic laws.