VIDEO: Arrest, Chaos at Unsanctioned St. Petersburg Pride

Reports indicate that about 60 participants were hauled away by police.

Neal Broverman

Neal Broverman is the Editorial Director, Print of Pride Media, publishers of The Advocate, Out, Out Traveler, and Plus, spending more than 20 years in journalism. He indulges his interest in transportation and urban planning with regular contributions to Los Angeles magazine, and his work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times and USA Today. He lives in the City of Angels with his husband, children, and their chiweenie.

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Neal Broverman

June 29 2013 3:28 PM EST

January 12 2016 7:51 AM EST

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St. Petersburg officials on Saturday arrested all the participants in the city's Pride parade for violating the Russian city's law against "gay propaganda," according to a report in Gay Star News.

A video shows police approaching a group of people and then arresting some, shoving one man violently into the entrance of a police van; reports indicate others were beaten and it's clear from the video that chaos and confusion reigned supreme. Watch the video below.

Nikolai Alekseev, a prominent and controversial Russian LGBT activist, confirms the arrests, saying it involved all 60 participants. St. Petersburg law arrests and fines those they deem guilty of spreading "gay propaganda" to minors. Russia is advancing a similar bill on a national level that has the support of President Vladimir Putin.