Moscow police moved quickly Saturday to end an unsanctioned gay pride march and prevent a counter demonstration from organizing in the Russian capital. Local news agencies Interfax and RIA said that as many as 50 people were detained by police, including Nikolai Alekseyev, one of the organizers of the pride march.

More than 1,000 police officers were put on full alert Saturday when Alekseyev and other organizers said they would ignore a court ruling upholding Mayor Yuri Luzhkov’s decision not to issue a parade permit. Alekseyev was arrested as he was preparing to lead a group to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier outside the Kremlin, the Interfax news agency reported.

Earlier in the day Alexeyev told Interfax that “the laying of flowers at the Tomb should serve as a response ”to the fascist politics provoked by some injudicious remarks by public officials.“

While police were blocking the march from taking place other officers were rounding up skinheads, members of a far right political group and supporters of the Russian Orthodox Church who were gathering not far away to form a counter protest. As police moved in the counter protesters began chanting ”Sodom Won’t Pass Here!“

The gay pride march was to have been part of an international LGBT conference being held in Moscow. Gay rights leaders from throughout Europe were attending the conference. It is not known if any foreign nationals were arrested.

Moscow is the only major world capital not to have a pride parade. In denying the parade permit Luzhkov said he was concerned about potential violence. But on Russian Radio on Friday he cited moral reasons for the ban. ”I believe that such a parade is inadmissible in our country above all for moral considerations. People should not make public their deviations,“ he said.

AP quoted Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov as saying during a radio interview yesterday that gay-pride parades ”may be acceptable for some kind of progressive, in some sense, countries in the West. But it is absolutely unacceptable for Moscow, for Russia.“ ”As long as I am mayor, we will not permit these parades to be conducted,“ Luzhkov said.

Conservatives and Russian Orthodox and Moslem leaders have led a pressure campaign against the march. Russian Patriarch Alexy II has denounced the planned festival and parade, and the leader of Russia’s Muslims has called for a ”violent mass protest“ if gay leaders go ahead with pride celebrations.

Earlier this week, organizers of the march said they were still planning protest actions in Moscow, notwithstanding the ban.

Last month, ultranationalists and Russian Orthodox activists attacked two Moscow gay nightclubs, throwing bottles, rocks, and eggs at party-goers and chanting homophobic insults.

MosNews