LGBT rights activists hold protests across Europe скачать в хорошем качестве

LGBT rights activists hold protests across Europe

(5 Feb 2014) Gay rights protests were held in France, Spain and Russia on Wednesday, two days before the Winter Olympic Games kick off in Sochi. Activists demonstrated over Russia's controversial laws on homosexuality, with some calling on event sponsors to denounce the legislation. "We are here in front of the McDonald's in Paris to urge all Olympic sponsors to denounce the anti-gay laws, so they are staying silent and they are said nothing about those anti-gay laws when those companies are marketing themselves as pro-equality defender," said Guillaume Bonnet, the organiser of the demonstration in Paris. Along with Coca-Cola and Visa, McDonald's is one of the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) 10 top sponsors for the Sochi Games, which open on Friday. The fast food chain, like other top IOC sponsors, reiterated that it supports human rights and opposes discrimination, but its statement did not mention the Russian law. The law, signed in July by President Vladimir Putin, outlaws pro-gay 'propaganda' that could be accessible to minors. Critics say it is so restrictive and vague that it deters almost any public expression of support for gay rights. In Madrid, campaigners held up coloured cards representing the Olympic rings. One sign at the demonstration read: "Raise your voice for Russia." "We are protesting for the equality and dignity of the LGBT in Russia, we are doing this now, with the Olympic Games in Russia in Sochi and we want the LGBT athletes to be in an equal position because they may be concerned about being arrested due to the homophobic laws brought in by Putin in 2013," said Ruben Lopez, a demonstration spokesperson. In St. Petersburg on Wednesday, two Russian activists protested the law. One-person protests are legal in Russia, and the two activists holding banners were spaced far enough apart that neither was arrested. The IOC and its top sponsors have expressed general opposition to discrimination and pledged to ensure that people gathering for the games wouldn't be affected by the law. A coalition of 40 international groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, sent an open letter to the 10 top sponsors last week urging them to run ads promoting equality for LGBT people. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...