Gay activists beaten and arrested in Russia

Riot police in Russia watched neo-Nazis beat up gay campaigners and then stepped in to arrest the campaigners, which included several European parliamentarians, giving us all some indication of the state of human rights in Russia.

The aim of the protest was to persuade the mayor of Moscow, Yuri Luzhkov, to lift his ban of a Gay Pride March through the city. The Mayor had previously described gay rallies as "satanic".

Witnesses have said riot police stood by whilst far right skinheads beat up the marchers whilst chanting "Death to homosexuals".

"It was absolutely shocking," the gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell told the Guardian yesterday. "The police stood there while people knocked me to the ground and kicked me. Four or five neo-Nazis attacked me. The police watched. At a certain point the police then arrested me and let my neo-Nazi attackers walk free."

Religious orthodox protesters and skinheads hurled eggs and stones - injuring Mr Tatchell in the eye. They also attacked Richard Fairbrass, the gay singer from the pop group Right Said Fred.

"When we were in the police van the police taunted us," Mr Tatchell said after his release. "They said, 'Are you a member of the sexual minority?' We said yes. They said, 'We are going to have some fun with you at the police station.' What happened here shows the flawed and failed nature of Russia's transition to democracy. There is no right to protest in Moscow."

Relations between Europe and Russia have been heading steadily southwards over the past few months, especially with the Russian refusal to hand over Andrei Lugovoi, who the British authorities say they have enough evidence to charge with the murder of Alexander Litvinenko. The Russians are refusing to extradite Lugovoi which threatens to put relations between Russia and the UK into deep freeze.

But for the police, for the state itself, to take part in such acts of blatant homophobia will alienate Russia from the rest of Europe quicker than almost anything else. One of the greatest steps forward taken by Europe over the past thirty years has been the acknowledgement of minority rights, and for a policeman to taunt Tatchell in this way is simply unforgivable. In Europe any policeman who made that sort of comment would now be facing dismissal.

That the Russian police could behave in this way in the twenty first century will send shock waves through the European Parliament, especially as MEP's were amongst those detained.

The chairwoman of Germany's Green party, Claudia Roth, yesterday called on the chancellor, Angela Merkel, to raise the issue of rights with President Vladimir Putin at next month's G8 summit.

As a member of the Council of Europe and signatory to the European convention on human rights, Russia is obliged to allow demonstrations. "It has been shown once again today that human rights are systematically abused in Putin's Russia," Ms Roth said.

The activists had tried to deliver a petition signed by 50 MEPs calling on Moscow's mayor to respect freedom of assembly, but 30 of them were arrested and they did not make it to his city hall office. Mr Beck was later released. Three Russian gay rights campaigners were kept in custody and charged with disobeying police.

Astonishingly, the neo-Nazi thugs attacked several of those arrested again after they were released according to witnesses.

"This is terrible but I am not scared," a Russian named Alexey said, blood streaming from his face. "This is a pretty scary place, a pretty scary country if you are gay. But we won't give up until they allow us our rights."

The G8 Summit should take Putin over the coals for this. Putin has agreed and has signed the European convention of Human Rights and that states that people have a right of assembly.

It's no use allowing people to assemble if you then allow others to attack those assembling whilst the police stand by apparently agreeing with the stance being taken by the Neo-Nazi thugs.

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