Moscow Pride Protest at Russian Consulate
To ban a parade for fear of disturbance by counter-demonstrators allows prejudice to stifle free expression simply because its voice is louder and threatens greater violence
| 15 Jul 2006
P! R! I! D! E! We want Moscow Pride to be! It may not have been the most eloquent of chants, but the message was clear: protesters outside the Russian Consulate in Edinburgh on June 2 were angry that Moscow's city governors had banned the planned Pride celebrations this spring, and that Muscovite police had failed to protect LGBT people from attacks by neo-Nazi thugs and religious extremists.
Scotland's protest took place the day before similar actions across Europe, including England, Germany, France, and Bulgaria.
In addition to the chants for Pride, bunches of flowers were placed on the step of the Melville Street building in a peace gesture, and a letter asking for better treatment of Russian LGBT people was handed over. No-one came out of the Consulate to talk with protesters, although staff could be seen in top windows taking photos of the demonstration.
In Moscow on May 27, and in spite of their city's withdrawal of support, the organisers of the Moscow march had decided to continue with their planned route, and had laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Police then failed to protect them from attacks. The chair of Moscow City Council's security commission, Inna Svyatenko, had suggested that the parade should be banned because it could "artificially provoke" disorder.
"We're not going to march nude or kiss on the streets," said Nikolai Alexeyev, who led the march. "We're not flaunting our sexuality or propagating some perverted agenda. We are just asking for an end to social injustice."
City authorities and police must ensure that people are allowed to exercise their freedoms safely, and should restrain counter-demonstrators if they threaten violence to a peaceful assembly. To ban a parade for fear of disturbance by counter-demonstrators allows prejudice to stifle free expression simply because its voice is louder and threatens greater violence.
Naomi McAuliffe, a campaigner for Amnesty International in Scotland, said that the actions of the city of Moscow "denied the LGBT communities their right to freedom of assembly and expression", and added that they were "grossly discriminatory." In banning the march, "they breached the European Convention on Human Rights, to which Russia is a signatory. The authorities have a duty to uphold the human rights of LGBT Russians."
In May Russia took over chairing the Council of Europe, whose three pillars are human rights, the rule of law, and open democracy. Though their entitlement came about through an alphabetical selection process, many have raised questions of Russia's suitability for the role.
Scotland's protest took place the day before similar actions across Europe, including England, Germany, France, and Bulgaria.
In addition to the chants for Pride, bunches of flowers were placed on the step of the Melville Street building in a peace gesture, and a letter asking for better treatment of Russian LGBT people was handed over. No-one came out of the Consulate to talk with protesters, although staff could be seen in top windows taking photos of the demonstration.
In Moscow on May 27, and in spite of their city's withdrawal of support, the organisers of the Moscow march had decided to continue with their planned route, and had laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Police then failed to protect them from attacks. The chair of Moscow City Council's security commission, Inna Svyatenko, had suggested that the parade should be banned because it could "artificially provoke" disorder.
"We're not going to march nude or kiss on the streets," said Nikolai Alexeyev, who led the march. "We're not flaunting our sexuality or propagating some perverted agenda. We are just asking for an end to social injustice."
City authorities and police must ensure that people are allowed to exercise their freedoms safely, and should restrain counter-demonstrators if they threaten violence to a peaceful assembly. To ban a parade for fear of disturbance by counter-demonstrators allows prejudice to stifle free expression simply because its voice is louder and threatens greater violence.
Naomi McAuliffe, a campaigner for Amnesty International in Scotland, said that the actions of the city of Moscow "denied the LGBT communities their right to freedom of assembly and expression", and added that they were "grossly discriminatory." In banning the march, "they breached the European Convention on Human Rights, to which Russia is a signatory. The authorities have a duty to uphold the human rights of LGBT Russians."
In May Russia took over chairing the Council of Europe, whose three pillars are human rights, the rule of law, and open democracy. Though their entitlement came about through an alphabetical selection process, many have raised questions of Russia's suitability for the role.