Pussy Riot marks Putin’s birthday with rainbow flags
October 8, 2020
Activists from the Russian punk rock group Pussy Riot hung rainbow flags outside multiple important government buildings in Russia on President Vladimir Putin’s 68th birthday on Wednesday.
"We chose the rainbow flags as a gift for Putin as a symbol of missing love and freedom," the group said through a post on Facebook.
The flags were hung in front of the Ministry of Culture, headquarters of the domestic secret service FSB, the presidential administration, as well as the Russian Supreme Court.
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"The state should not interfere in [the] life of the LGBTQ community," the post continued. "But if it does, then the community can intervene in the life of the state. You yourself like to say "symmetrical response" in such cases."
Two members of the group — Vasily Andrianov and Elizaveta Diderikh — were arrested and released later on Wednesday for holding rallies in downtown Moscow.
The group has been critical of the Russian government’s treatment of sexual minorities, often holding international concerts to bring attention to the government’s actions.
Pussy Riot put together a number of demands on the occasion of the president’s birthday, which they want to be celebrated as LGBTQ Visibility Day each year.
The post also called for an investigation into the kidnapping and murder of sexual minorities in the republic of Chechnya, as well as an end to the harassment of same-sex partnerships and families.
While homosexuality is not a criminal offense in the country, a recent constitutional amendment says that marriage can only take place between a man and a woman.
see/rc (dpa, Interfax)