Embassies of EU Member States and EU Ambassador in Moscow denied to support the activists

Questions had been tabled today in the European Parliament by the all-party ‘Intergroup’ for gay and lesbian rights asking about the lack of support for last weekend’s Moscow Gay Pride from the European Union and its member States.

The written questions, to both the European Commission and the European Council, have been signed by the two co-presidents of the Intergroup, Michael Cashman (UK, S&D) and Ulrike unacek (Austria, Greens/EFA), together with vice-presidents Sophie in’t Veld (Netherlands, ALDE), Raül Romeva i Rueda (Spain, Greens/EFA), Sirpa Pietikäinen (Finland, EPP) and Rui Tavares (Portugal, GUE/GNL).

The move comes following criticism from gay activists in Moscow who were bitterly disappointed in the lack of support for Moscow Pride from Europe.

Peter Tatchell, the UK-based gay rights activist who was in Moscow for the Pride, described the lack of support from the EU as worrying.

“The EU and western embassies are hypocrites,” he said last Friday.  “They support Gay Pride events in Poland and Latvia, but not in Russia.  The UK and US governments have not protested to the Russian authorities.  Their ambassadors to Russia have offered no support to the Moscow Pride organisers.  They have ignored suggestions that they host Gay Pride events in their embassy grounds and that they fly the gay rainbow flag on Moscow Pride day, 29 May.”

In the written question to the European Commission, the Intergroup points out that on March 30, the organisers of the Moscow Gay Pride approached the Delegation of the European Union in Moscow, asking for their formal support to an event that has been banned for the last five years and has constantly sustained violence and arrests.

The Ambassador, the questions continue, declined to support the event, despite a statement from the High Representative on May 17, 2010 which says: “The European Union urges States to ensure adequate protection of human rights defenders, and remove obstacles which prevent them from carrying out their work on issues of human rights and sexual orientation and gender identity.”

The question then point out that on May 29 “a group of 30 activists briefly staged their gay pride march by escaping authorities, falsely announcing the location of the event outside the Delegation of the EU in Moscow – where violent counter-protesters and OMON police stood ready to stop the event – and staging the illegal march elsewhere in the city”

The questions to the European Commission are:

■  Does the Commission agree that support on this occasion would have constituted positive action in the context of the European Union’s commitment to human rights in Russia?  If not, why not?

■  Why did the EU Ambassador turn down a request from Russian activists to provide any form of material or symbolical support to the event?

■  In the light of the High Representative’s statement, will the European Union Delegation to Russia support human rights defenders working for the human rights of LGBT people in the future?

In the question to the European Council, the Intergroup points out that on March 20, organisers of the Moscow Gay Pride approached the embassies of Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Sweden and the United Kingdom, asking for their formal support to an event that has been banned for the last five years and has constantly sustained violence and arrests.

The Ambassadors either declined supporting the event or ignored the request, despite Czech, Dutch, French, German, Spanish, Swedish and British embassies having supported gay prides in other countries.

Although some Ambassadors initially declared themselves ready to support the event, they appeared to subsequently withdraw their intended support following a discussion at one of the regular human rights meetings between EU Ambassadors.

The question specifically asks the Council:

■  Does the Council agree that the support of Member States’ embassies on this occasion would have constituted positive action in the context of the European Union’s commitment to human rights in Russia? If not, why not?

■  Why did the embassies of Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Sweden and the United Kingdom fail to support the event, symbolically or otherwise?

■  In the light of the European Council President’s statement on May 6, 2010 that “much still needs to be done, both in Europe and other parts of the world, to [combat homophobia]. We must and shall persevere in this task”, will the Council support human rights defenders working for the human rights of LGBT people in the future?

UkGayNews.Org.Uk