By Nikolai Alekseev

MOSCOW, October 16 (GayRussia.ru wire)  –  Yesterday’s anti-gay protest in Krasnodar was banned by the authorities on the technicality that one of the groups organising the demonstration had been ordered by the courts to be closed down.
 

So there was one obvious question I had when I arrived at the monument to the Black Sea Kazak Army in the city and found the local law enforcement officers there.

“I thought this demonstration was not going to be allowed,” I asked the militiaman?

“Yes, it is true,” he replied.  “But they are gathering.”

“Do you know what they are demonstrating against?”

“Against the parade of those … what are they called … gays in Red Square next year,” he replied.

“Red Square in Moscow?  Who said the parade would be in Red Square,” I asked?

“That is what [the protesters] are saying, but then I don’t know,” he said.

It was raining.  But no one seemed worried.  I made my way into no-man’s land between the militia and the demonstrators.

“I thought this meeting was banned,” I asked another militiaman?

“Yes, it was banned,” he confirmed.

“Who banned it,” I then inquired?  “Was it the Administration of Krasnodarski region?”

“I don’t know who it was but we have an order of our higher ranks and we are following it,” he told me.

Getting nearer to the demonstrators, I could hear what was being said over the militia’s radios.  “No one there has any symbols? No flags, no symbols. The demo is not authorized!”

At the same moment an elderly protester, seeing I had a camera, started to show, with glee and satisfaction, his homophobic slogans.  On one of them it is written: “Organisers of the parade of pederasts in May 2006 want to get a revenge for the defeat of fascists in May 1945”.

On other placards, the slogans were less direct and more general.  Right after I took the photos the old man was approached by the leader of Kuban Euro Asians, Artem Besedin.

Looking at the prepared slogans he nodded, but I did not notice any satisfaction at his face.  Placards that were distributed 20 minutes previously then disappeared.

The rain then eased.  Albert Gayamyan, head of the committee “Presumption”, got closer to the monument.  He called all those present to get to him.  The militia was only going to allow him to give a brief speech.

Thirty young men an women gathered around Gayamyan.  He told them that the parade of pederasts in Moscow can not be allowed and that this “disease should be removed from the face of our country.”

He also said that the “fault for the cancellation of the meeting lies not with local authorities but in Moscow”.

According to him, the order to ban the event came from the highest authorities in the Russian capital.  Gayamyan said that on Saturday November 19 a similar action of protest should take place throughout Russia.

He appealed to all those present to call their friends, send email and write articles to local papers.

When Gayamyan  tried to hand over the microphone to Besedin, the militia stepped in and ordered the demonstration to disperse.

During the afternoon before the demonstration, I had a look at the city and the “Labour Reserves of Kuban” festival, accompanied by a local gay, a regular visitor to the GayRussia.ru website.  Lets us just call him “Alexey” as mentioning his full name could cause him problems in Krasnodar.

Even he was surprised at how large the festival was.  Could it just be that the local authorities made sure that the festival was larger and more colourful than usual just to make it more “grandiose” than the demonstration later in the day?

It is an interesting theory, but full of contradictions.

Krasnodar could be seen as a homophobic city.  “Alexey” and I were sitting on a park bench when a group of young guys walked past us, “giving us the finger” and uttering the word “pederasts”.  But equally, the city could be said to be heading for tolerance of gays.  There were many home-made posters around saying: “No to Homophobic Propaganda.  Our Private Live Is Our Private Business”

■ See also Likening Gays to Fascists Made Me So Furious.  Commentary  by  Nikolai  Alekseev  of GayRussia.ru on his trip to Krasnodar.  When I saw the slogan at the anti-gay protest in Krasnodar that organisers of next year’s Moscow Pride want revenge for fascist’s defeat over 60 years ago, I was not just amazed – I was furious.

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