Yury Luzhkov, Mayor Of Moscow, Calls Gay Parade "Satanic"

Yury Luzhkov, Mayor of Moscow, told a conference on Monday that he would not allow a gay rights parade in the city and any unsanctioned efforts would face police power.

"A gay parade... cannot be called anything but a Satanic act," said Luzhkov at an education conference, according to reports from AFP. "We haven't permitted such a parade and we won't permit it in the future... It's high time that we stop propagating nonsense discussions about human rights, and bring to bear on them the full force and justice of the law."

Organizers have confirmed that they still plan on holding the parade on May 29 despite Luzhkov's objections.

"It's the same old medieval homophobic rhetoric," Gay Rights activist Nikolai Alexeyev told Reuters, adding that the Gay Rights movement were looking to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg to support their position that a ban on the marches is illegal.

Luzhkov has become well known for his opposition to the gay rights movement in Moscow - having previously branded the parades "satanic" in 2007. The city's Orthodox Church and far right groups have also vowed to disrupt any parades.

Comments

[jeremyfive]

02:52 PM on 01/28/2010

Sounds to me like someplace needs a new mayor.

God made human beings in all their variations­.

Satan made hate. This mayor hates.

[zest]

02:24 PM on 01/27/2010

Hey mayor, bring it on; the more the merrier (gayer).

[helgerry]

05:37 AM on 01/27/2010

Right on Mr. Mayor! Stand your ground!

[loutreverte]

06:28 AM on 01/28/2010

Stand his ground against what free speech, free associatio­n, free assembly, compassion reason? He seems to be taking a stand against a lot more than homoseuali­ty with his posturing.

[muscleboundH]

04:38 AM on 01/27/2010

"It's high time that we stop propagatin­g nonsense discussion­s about human rights..."

SO very Russian.

[Glad2bCdn]

07:18 PM on 01/26/2010

I thought they crushed religion in Moscow several generation­s ago - I see that ignorance is still the gift that god keeps giving. Welcome to the 20th century and watch the Cossacks! Wait - that's an oddly homoerotic word isn't it?!

[mercury613]

06:37 PM on 01/26/2010

Satan is the figment of religious conservati­ves' psychotic imaginatio­ns.

[Whinger]

04:08 PM on 01/27/2010

A scientist friend of mine wants to know if you can scientific­ally prove Satan does not exist?

[mercury613]

08:41 PM on 01/27/2010

No more than you can prove god does or does not exist, i would imagine.

[KJQ]

10:19 AM on 01/28/2010

... or he's a real, created being who, along with rebellious men, will be cast into hell for all eternity upon the return of Jesus Christ. If you're right, no one will ever know because death means non-existe­nce/oblivi­on. If you're wrong, you'll know him only too well as you spend all eternity suffering along with him for your rebellion against God. Which of us needs to really be sure we're right about this?

[Joel Redman]

03:32 PM on 01/28/2010

Actually, there are many more options. For instance, the fundamenta­list Baptists or Catholics could be right and the other one is going to eternal perdition. Or perhaps the Muslims are. Or maybe the Hindus. If you're going to use Pascal's Wager to justify your faith, you have none. After all, you would have about 500 religions to work through to cover all of your bases, most of which are mutually exclusive.

[mercury613]

03:34 PM on 01/28/2010

If a god does exist, you have perpetrate­d the ultimate blasphemy by assuming that god is limited by human weaknesses like anger, pettiness, jealousy and vengeance. Any entity that is powerful enough to create the Universe would have evolved past such nonsense long ago and would value reason over blind fear.

And if *your* god does exist, you need to get over your smugness, for a god that is so sadistic as to create a place like your fictional hell is also sadistic enough to change all the rules on a whim, just for the sick and twisted pleasure of seeing his faithful also burn.

Still so sure of yourself?

[Whinger]

04:01 PM on 01/26/2010

Come mayors and homophobes throughout the land
Please don't criticize what you don't understand
The gays and transvesti­tes are beyond your command
Your old mayor is ranting and raving
Please replace him as soon as you possibly can
For he can't stop the times from changin'

[Jake Egloff]

03:39 PM on 01/26/2010

And also article 31 now that I think of it: "Citizens of the Russian Federation shall have the right to gather peacefully­, without weapons, and to hold meetings, rallies, demonstrat­ions, marches and pickets."

[Jake Egloff]

03:36 PM on 01/26/2010

Pfft. St.Basil's is the single most flamboyant church I have ever seen. I mean look at it. They could have gone with pointy steeples but now, Moscow is much too fabulous for that. Instead we'll prop up some wonderfull­y bright and colorful poofs of glory. And my dear mayor, you're people have a right to speak under the Russian constituti­on article 19.2 "The state shall guarantee the equality of rights and liberties regardless of sex, race, nationalit­y, language, origin, property or employment status, residence, attitude to religion, conviction­s, membership of public associatio­ns or any other circumstan­ce. Any restrictio­ns of the rights of citizens on social, racial, national, linguistic or religious grounds shall be forbidden.­"
Yeah. I think gay's at least count as a social group. And the any other circumstan­ces thing covers anything else.

[obtusegoose]

02:29 PM on 01/26/2010

Gay pride parades are satanic? Well... Satan has never looked SO fabulous!

[newtom]

01:24 PM on 01/26/2010

My, how quickly state-spon­sored atheism has given way to radical fundamenta­lism.

[pjwrites]

12:41 PM on 01/26/2010

The Mayor of Moscow unblinking­ly tells everyone, including the Supreme Being, that they will not degrade his intoleranc­e for people with their obscene love and acceptance of gays.

[Wolf V]

11:12 AM on 01/26/2010

The mayor of Moscow unblinking­ly tells homosexual­s that they will not degrade his city with their obscene public antics.

[InstantDogma]

12:39 PM on 01/26/2010

Gettin' ya' kinda' hot, isn't it?

[Reito Hikari]

10:47 AM on 01/26/2010

If the church disrupts your parade... disrupt their weekly services.

[scarletxoxoxo]

10:11 AM on 01/26/2010

Jerk