By Andrew L. Jaffee

Despite being decriminalized, homosexuality is still widely despised in Russia.

- AP

Now isn’t that special? Russia sure is uptight: pushing around chess players (political dissidents); picking on little countries like Estonia; and now going after gays, whom Moscow Mayor Luzhkov described as “satanic:”

Police detained gay rights activists, among them European lawmakers, as they tried to present a letter to Moscow’s mayor Sunday in a demonstration that also attracted a hostile crowd of people who punched and threw eggs at the activists. [Continues below…]

The letter, signed by some 40 European lawmakers, appealed the city’s ban on a march that would have taken place Sunday to mark the 14th anniversary of Russia decriminalizing homosexuality.

Police quickly grabbed about a dozen demonstrators and forced them into a bus, including the Russian gay rights movement leader Nikolai Alexeyev. Police then hustled away others, including German parliament member Volker Beck, as opponents threw eggs and shouted: “Moscow is not Sodom!” …

A total of 31 people were detained and most were later released, Moscow police spokesman Yevgeny Gildeyev said. He said two Italians were detained for jaywalking and a German was taken away by police to prevent him from being beaten. …