RUSSIA
Date For Next Year's Moscow Gay Pride Announced Tonight - May 31, 2008
|
Decision for next year made hours after three of the organising committee were released from custody |
||||||||||
|
|
MOSCOW, May 28, 2007 – Within hours of being released by a Moscow Court after being arrested at yesterday’s “gay Pride” and kept in police custody overnight, Nikolai Alekseev had met with others on the Moscow Gay Pride Committee to discuss the future. “The Moscow Pride Committee has decided tonight that next Moscow Pride will take place Saturday May 31,” Mr. Alekseev said this evening. And that was not all. “I am planning to run next December in the Douma election. This could really change the course of next year’s Pride,” he added. Earlier, he had spoken of today’s court hearing at which Italian MEP Marco Cappato and Volker Beck, the member of the German Bundestag, had been witnesses. Both were themselves arrested yesterday as they tried, with some 40 others, to hand in a letter of protest signed by 50 MEPs to the Moscow Mayor, Yuri Luzhkov. “It was incredible to see them in court,” he said. “They were both brilliant witnesses.” On release from custody and as if nothing had happened in the last 24 hours, it was “back to work” on Pride matters for Mr. Alekseev. “I have spoken by phone – and [personally] in court – with our colleagues of the organising team and all are very happy that we managed in the end to go be released. “No one regrets anything – and everyone here on the Russian side is amazed to see the European coverage.” Even then, an hour after being released, he was thinking of Moscow Gay Pride 2008. “I have the feeling [the Swissotel] want us to stage the conference next year there,” he said. Mr. Alekseev thanked the various governments in Europe that had made statements this morning about the events during Pride. And in particular, he paid tribute to Germany, who currently hold the European Union presidency. Volker Beck pointed out tonight that last year there were two politicians at Moscow Pride. “This year there were four of us,” he said. “The there could be 20 politicians from a least ten different countries, it would make a vast difference … the pressure would be a lot stronger and the Pride would be more secure.” ■ Elsewhere in Moscow, Mikhail Solomontsev, the official spokesperson for Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov paid tribute to “the clear, smooth and polite work of the police, who acted strictly within the law”.
Nikolai Alekseev and his two colleagues - all organisers of Moscow Gay Pride - have this afternoon been released from custody by a Moscow court. They were arrested by the OMON riot police yesterday lunchtime as they, together with a number of foreign politicians and other international gay activists, tried to peacefully hand in a letter to Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov singned by 50 members of the European Parliament. Mr. Alekseev said in a SMS message to UK Gay News received at 1:47 pm (UK time): “I am released by court! Next hearing on 9 June. Volker Beck was brilliant witness/ MP Mitrofanov provided me a brilliant theatrical lawyer. He was also in court. He helped to lobby authorities in our direction. That was a great combination together with Western European pressure. Thanks to the German Presidency of the EU.” Later, speaking from the Swissotel in Moscow, Mr. Alekseev said that Italian MEP Marco Cappato was also in court with Herr Beck to testify. “It was incredible to see them in court. “I have spoken by phone – and [personally] in court – with our colleagues of the organising team and all are very happy that we managed in the end to go be released. “No one regrets anything – and everyone here on the Russian side is amazed to see the European coverage.” Despite all the problems over the past 36 hours, Mr. Alekseev then hinted that he was thinking about Moscow Gay Pride 2008. He said that the atmosphere at the Swissotel was “weird”. “I have the feeling they already want us to stage the conference next year there,” he said. ■ Elsewhere in Moscow, Mikhail Solomontsev, the official spokesperson for Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov paid tribute to “the clear, smooth and polite work of the police, who acted strictly within the law”. More to follow ...
Posted: 28 May 2007 at 14:00 UK
time |
Got an opinion on this article? Leave your comment here.
|
||||||||
