Rally of Nalchik residents demands not to admit LGBT actions in the city

A spontaneous rally was held on March 19 by residents of Nalchik, dissatisfied with the plans of LGBT activists to hold a rally in the city. The citizens, who stick to traditional values, said that they treat such intentions as insulting.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that within the framework of the All-Russian LGBT campaign, activists filed notifications about holding rallies in defence of the rights of sexual minorities in a number of cities, including Nalchik, Stavropol, Cherkessk and Maikop. The authorities refused to sanction the actions. The initiators have reported that they began receiving threats after they applied for a march in Nalchik.

The action in Nalchik was organized by means of the WhatsApp Messenger; it was not coordinated with the administration, said Rustam, one of the participants.

According to protesters, the rally was 300-400 people strong. Mostly, these were young men, who stated that they were offended even by the very intention to hold a gay parade in Nalchik.

"Any manifestation of homosexuality will be severely punished," one of the speakers said, urging the authorities not even to consider such notifications.

A video of the rally was posted on the YouTube by the user Zalim Berbekov.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.