Police raid Moscow gay bars after a Supreme Court ruling labeled LGBTQ+ movement 'extremist'

Source: Associated Press

Police raid Moscow gay bars after a Supreme Court ruling labeled LGBTQ+ movement ‘extremist’

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Updated 4:21 AM EST, December 2, 202

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.

The raids follow a decision by Russia’s Supreme Court to label the country’s LGBTQ+ “movement” as an extremist organization.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/russia-lgbtq-nightclub-raids-crackdown-33e1b9a0110bf22dc2ebc7c42efe6335