Arrests for Violation of St. Petersburg Anti-Gay Law

[xchrom]

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,826199,00.html


Police detain a gay rights activist in St. Petersburg on Thursday.

For the first time, police in St. Petersburg, Russia, have made arrests on the strength of a new law banning the dissemination of information on homo-, bi- and transsexuality. Two men were arrested in the city center on Thursday after holding up a sign reading "Homosexuality Is Normal," according to the newswire Interfax.

Russia's second-largest city passed the controversial law on Feb. 29. The two men now face a possible maximum fine of 500,000 rubles (€12,800/$17,000). The maximum penalty is more than the average annual income in Russia.

The law bans films, music videos, books and newspapers that contain homosexual content as well as the rainbow flag, which is a common symbol of gay pride. And the ban may soon no longer be limited to just St. Petersburg and other cities in Russia. At the end of March, Vladimir Putin's United Russia party introduced a bill in the country's parliament, the Duma, which would impose the ban at the national level.

"We are trying to protect our society from homosexual propaganda," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Russian radio three weeks ago.

[SamG]

1. It's Russia, of course, but could be FL

Really, or some other city in the USA where limitations upon public demonstrations are put in place.

Sadly, some Americans would feel right at home with these laws in St Petersburg, RU

[joeybee12]

2. Where's Hillary?

She made a nice speech about the Arab world...or maybe that was just for local consumption and didn't expect anything to really come of it, now did she? After all, it's an election year, gotta rile us up here at home.