LGBT activists claim Arkhangelsk rally approved for first time
ARKHANGELSK. Feb 20 (Interfax) - The administration of Arkhangelsk has, for the first time, agreed to a rally, organized by the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual) community, to be held in the city, the GayRussia.ru website said on Friday
The local activists applied for the rally to take place near the city hall, but the administration offered them to move the event to Leningradsky Prospekt, between Galushina and Kooperativnaya Streets, an area quite remote from the city center, according to the website.
The rally is scheduled for February 25 and will involve no more than 20 participants. The activists are planning to read out a conclusion by the Russian Constitutional Court (CC) in an inquiry into the constitutionality of the federal law banning the propaganda of homosexuality among children.
Meanwhile, Arkhangelsk city officials told Interfax that the application for the rally to inform the public about the CC ruling was filed by an activist group, not the LGBT community.
"The citizens were offered a venue for the event. If it is as stated in their application, this does not violate the existing legislation. We cannot ban ordinary citizens from spreading the court ruling," a source said.
It was reported earlier that the Arkhangelsk City Hall banned local LGBT activists from holding a gay pride parade in the city on February 22. Local officials told Interfax that the applications were filed by the Rakurs organization and all of them had been rejected "on the ground of the existing legislation."