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.

    • Szymon@lemmy.ca
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      11 months ago

      They’re creating lists of people and looking into their associated social networks. Do you want to be on a list of people your government has suddenly associated with crime and terrorism because your cousin went to a gay bar?

      • cannache@slrpnk.net
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        11 months ago

        Fuck no let’s not do that, I’m looking for a list of people with good fashion and brains to eat, but people to oppress what kind of terrible monster would do such a thing!

        • TheSanSabaSongbird@lemdro.id
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          11 months ago

          Oh good, whataboutism! I was hoping someone would think to get into some whataboutism. A Russia-bashing thread is never complete without your whataboutism with regard to the US. It’s axiomatic. You can’t have one without the other.

        • Meowoem@sh.itjust.works
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          11 months ago

          People who want to pretend this couldn’t happen in America need to realise 2021 Maryland used obscenity laws banning oral sex to raid a gay bookstore and arrest people for having sex in private. That’s a somewhat rural part of one of the most progressive states, there are far too many republicans that would love to use some flimsy excuse to criminalize gay people and throw as many in jail as possible.