Russian security forces raided gay clubs and bars across Moscow Friday night, less than 48 hours after the country’s top court banned what it called the “global LGBTQ+ movement” as an extremist organization.
Police searched venues across the Russian capital, including a nightclub, a male sauna, and a bar that hosted LGBTQ+ parties, under the pretext of a drug raid, local media reported.
Eyewitnesses told journalists that clubgoers’ documents were checked and photographed by the security services. They also said that managers had been able to warn patrons before police arrived.
Just distinguish between the government’s decision and the people. I don’t know if I would demonstrate there at the moment if someone kept falling out of the window, so I don’t presume to judge. But the government has moved very far away from human rights.
Russia seems to have a long history of just getting it wrong. There is something inherently russian about it, so it’s not just the government.