Russian Use of Force to Enforce Anti Gay Law and By Stander Reaction
Mixed reaction from bystanders who question use of force but also morality of the cause
Carrying a banner that reads "Hitler Began with the Gays. No to Fascism in Russia," a handful of gay rights protesters marched through Moscow's Arbat area last weekend only to be met by police who blocked their passage, wrestled them to the ground, and then bundled them into a car, a video report from Russian news site Grani.ru shows.
The New York Times ran a story about the authorities' crackdown on the demonstrators, noting that this is an example of Russia's anti-gay gag law at work.
The report also notes that bystanders, and one woman in particular, tried to intervene as police roughed up the protesters. She can be heard calling on another man to help her. But when one protester informed her that the demonstration was in support of LGBT people, the woman hesitated, saying that that represented a "decline of morality.”
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