Gay activists permitted to march publicly in St Petersburg

A gay pride march has been permitted in St. Petersburg, Russia, as part of the country’s May Day celebrations.

May 1 is a public holiday in Russia which is usually marked by state-sanctioned demonstrations. The LGBT group was part of this larger rally on Friday, which saw almost 100,000 people take to the streets, in an organized march, to peacefully champion their own political causes. Activists carried LGBT symbols, signs and rainbow flags.

Police held back the politician Vitaly Milonov, who was protesting the LGBT element of the march on the grounds of the gay propaganda law, which he himself had sponsored. He was recently featured in Reggie Yates’ BBC Three documentary Extreme Russia: Gay & Under Attack.

The law bans the promotion of homosexuality to minors, and in an effort to drive that home, Milonov had brought some young people with him. He is reported to have been shouting insults, and was seen waving the flag of Russian separatists from Ukraine.

However, he was challenged by police, and he and his supporters were moved on without incident.

Milonov is a notorious anti-gay politician, based in St Petersburg, and is often seen as the face of Russia’s political homophobia.