>> LGBT activists banned from Russian May Day parade, but not neo-Nazis
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Dans la Russie de Poutine, « les activistes des droits LGBT sont arrêtés mais les mouvements néo-nazis bienvenus dans le cortège du 1er Mai, » a commenté Anton Shekhovstov, chercheur à l’Institut des sciences humaines de Vienne en Autriche et expert de formations d’extrême droite de l’Europe orientale, en partageant sur les réseaux des photos des arrestations.
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In Putin’s Russia, LGBT activists are arrested on the 1st of May, neo-Nazis are allowed to march. pic.twitter.com/VRzdAcNe2H
— Anton Shekhovtsov (@A_SHEKH0VTS0V) 1 mai 2016
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Ce dimanche, une vingtaine de militants de la cause auront en effet été violemment interpellés lors du défilé de la Fête du travail à Saint-Pétersbourg, après avoir déployé un drapeau arc en ciel sur la principale artère de la ville. Ils avaient rejoint la marche, à la promesse d’une discrétion, aux côtés des écologistes solidaires et syndicats libres, malgré l’interdiction du conseil municipal qui ne souhaitait aucun représentant de la communauté LGBT. Les élus avaient en revanche autorisé « la parade » en artifice et uniforme d’un groupe néo-nazi local, sous le slogan « pour l’unité des Slaves et de la race blanche ».
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Rassemblement non-autorisé et propagande « homosexuelle », ces courageux défenseurs LGBT devraient également écoper d’une amende d’un peu plus de 260 euros, et quelque 40 heures de service communautaire.
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En mai 2015, tandis qu’il s’était déplacé en famille et avec sympathisants pour assister à l’événement, le député Vitaly Milonov, à l’origine de la loi anti-gay, était tombé devant une flopée de drapeaux arc-en-ciel et pancartes le caricaturant. Plusieurs centaines de manifestants avaient rejoint les rangs des LGBT, « infiltrés » dans le défilé. Furieux, il avait bien tenté de s’interposer au milieu de la foule, mais ce spectateur agité qui vocifère va rapidement inquiéter les policiers et « maintenu à distance ». La scène filmée avait provoqué la risée du député, qui promettait ensuite dans les médias « de liquider toutes ces organisations d’homosexuels », assimilées aux fascistes de la Seconde guerre mondiale. Ironique…
Terrence Katchadourian
stophomophobie.org
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>> Russian gay-rights activists were arrested Sunday for demonstrating during a May Day parade in St. Petersburg, while a neo-Nazi group reportedly participated in the event without incident.
About 20 members of St. Petersburg’s LGBT community were detained during Sunday’s march after they unfurled a rainbow flag on the city’s main thoroughfare, reported FlashNord, a Russian news agency headquartered in the country’s former capital.
Although various trade unions and political parties were authorized to participate during Sunday’s event, authorities in St. Petersburg decided two days before the march to ban representatives of the city’s LGBT community from taking part, reported Meduza, an English-language news site that covers Russian affairs.
« For the first time in the history of the movement in Russia, [representatives from the LGBT community] will miss out on the biggest street event of the year, » LGBT organizers wrote on VKontakte, a Russian social networking site.
Two groups that were authorized to march — Free Trade Unions and Green Activists — ultimately told gay rights activists that they could join their ranks during Sunday’s parade as long as no rainbow flags or LGBT banners were used, organizers wrote on VKontakte. Fontanka, an online newspaper based in Russia, reported that the activists agreed, but eventually unfurled rainbow flags and were promptly arrested.
Those arrested will likely face charges for violating a Russian law prohibiting unsanctioned gatherings, meetings, demonstrations, marches or rallies. According to Fontanka, those persons face potential penalties of up to $300 USD and 40 hours of community service.
While gay-rights activists were prohibited from demonstrating, St. Petersburg officials had no issue allowing Slavic Power Northwest, a local neo-Nazi group, from taking part in the march. According to Russian media, members of that group participated in the event under the slogan “For the unity of the Slavs and the White race.”
« In Putin’s Russia, LGBT activists are arrested on the 1st of May, neo-Nazis are allowed to march, » tweeted Anton Shekhovtsov, a visiting fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences, an Austrian-based think tank.
About 600 demonstrators marched with LGBT groups during last year’s event, and organizers expected more than 1,000 at Sunday’s parade before their application to participate was rejected by authorities, organizers with the gay-rights group Rainbow MayDay wrote on VKontakte.
According to the organizers, Russia’s internet watchdog, Roskomnadzor, blocked access to the group’s official website and VKontakte page ahead of the event.
