One of the Finns detained, Tarja Koivumäki, says police arrested them and others in a haphazard and rough manner near the Pushkin Park. Activists had tried to stage a demonstration in the park but this was broken up forcibly by police. The women said they were in Moscow for the Eurovision Song Contest.
Koivumäki said the park was swarming with militia officers who detained people at random. Members of an anti-gay organisation also attacked people in the park but police did not intervene to stop the violence.
The Finnish women were talking with Estonian journalists when the homophobic mob punched and kicked them, after which militia officers took them into custody. She says police did not give the reason for their arrest but treated them well. Koivumäki and a second Finnish woman were released around 2 p.m. Finnish time. A third Finnish detainee was released later on Saturday afternoon.
Protesters gathered in Moscow on Saturday to demand an improvement in gay rights in Russia. The Eurovision Song Contest, being held in the city, has drawn international attention to the plight of gays and lesbians in the country.
