UKRAINE: Gay Couple Attacked While Replicating "Walking While Gay" Video

Via Bird In Flight:

Last week the creators of ChebuRussia TV published a video that documented how people in Moscow reacted to two young men walking around the city holding hands. The video has more than eight million views by now. This experiment was widely discussed in Ukraine as well, and some speculated on whether the reaction to a similar couple in, say, Kyiv would be different. Bird In Flight decided to see for themselves and filmed Zoryan and Tymur walking in crowded public spaces. We can see that most of the people have a neutral opinion, they show no particular interest. This proves that the confrontation is between the two minorities. The only problem is that one of the minorities is excessively aggressive. I think that law enforcement should start the so called ‘safari’ on aggressors, because the latter are discriminating against Ukrainians, popularizing violence and are making it clear with their actions and statements that law enforcement is insignificant to them and the aggression will remain unpunished.

 More from the Guardian:

The Ukrainian far-right has grown in influence after playing a key role in the Euromaidan demonstrations that brought the current pro-Western government to power, and in the conflict with Russia-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine. Earlier this month, a shootout involving the ultra-nationalist militia Right Sector left two dead in western Ukraine and led to a standoff with the authorities. Right Sector’s leader, Dmytro Yarosh, called for a referendum to impeach Poroshenko as supporters rallied in the capital on Tuesday. Maxim Eristavi, a Kiev-based journalist and a member of the LGBT community, said the Mukacheve attack and the assault on Kis and Levchuk were the results of the government’s passive stance towards rightwing extremism. He said top officials failed to condemn an attack by dozens of assailants on a gay pride parade in the capital last month. Eristavi said: “There’s a culture of impunity among Ukrainian far-right extremists that is flourishing on the local governing and political elite’s inability to issue a condemnation of violent paramilitaries.”

The clip below has nearly 800K views already.

(Tipped by JMG reader Den)

UKRAINE: Hundreds Of Riot Police Protect Kiev Pride During Attack By Neo-Nazis, Dozens Arrested, Several Cops Injured

Via NBC News:

Several dozen unknown assailants attacked a gay pride rally in Kiev on Saturday, throwing flares and wounding two policemen, a Reuters witness reported. Organizers for 'KyivPride2015' said the march along the Dnipro river would go ahead despite warnings from city mayor Vitaly Klitschko, who advised the event be canceled because of a threat of violence from far-right groups. Despite the presence of several hundred police in riot gear, the march of around 150 LGBT supporters carrying rainbow banners and placards came under attack and 25-30 "hooligans" were arrested, parliament member Serhiy Leshchenko said on Twitter. Leshchenko said police had prevented any direct clashes between participants in the march and the attackers.

Yesterday Ukraine's president expressed support for the parade:

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko voiced support for LGBT rights, saying he believes an equality march planned for Saturday in Kiev should take place as planned. "I will not participate in it, but I don't see any reason to impede this march because it's a constitutional right of every citizen of Ukraine," he said at a press conference on Friday. No president of Ukraine — a post-Soviet state of more than 40 million mostly-conservative Orthodox Christians — has ever voiced support of the country's LGBT community, activists told Mashable. Poroshenko has been mostly silent on the topic of LGBT rights until now. Taras Karasiichuk, an organizer of the planned equality march, said he was shocked by the president's remarks. "I'm really surprised," he said. "It's huge. And it's important." Poroshenko's remarks came in response to a question by a journalist who asked whether the president could guarantee the security of those participating in Saturday's march after threats from far-right nationalist groups this week.

It appears that the attacks were coordinated by members of Ukraine's neo-Nazi Right Sector Party.  The BBC reports that five riot police were injured, one seriously.



UPDATE: More from Buzzfeed.

Nine police officers were injured during a LGBT “March for Equality” in Kiev on Saturday, after right-wing counter protesters attacked the event, according to a press release from the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs. Police deployed more than 2,000 officers to protect the event, which was canceled last year because the police said they would not protect participants. One of the injured officers took a “shrapnel wound” to the neck, according to officials. This video [BELOW] shows police detaining and unmasking attackers. The Ministry of Internal Affairs said 25 people were arrested for “illegal actions” during the march.

Start at 3:15 in this clip.

Russia Declares Right To Deploy Nukes In Crimea (And Maybe Has Already)

Via the Independent:

Russia has said that it has the right to deploy nuclear weapons to Crimea, a year after Vladimir Putin seized the territory from Ukraine following a referendum. Home to the strategic Black Sea port city of Sevastopol, which already housed Russia’s fleet before the Ukrainian crisis erupted at the start of 2014, Crimea is significantly nearer central Europe than any nuclear base Russia is thought to control. “I don't know if there are nuclear weapons there now,” a Russian foreign ministry official told the Interfax news agency on Wednesday.

“I don't know about any plans, but in principle Russia can do it,” said Mikhail Ulyanov, who is the head of the ministry's department on arms control. The comments come at a highly sensitive time for international relations around the Black Sea, after Nato members Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey joined four other alliance states in a multinational naval exercise there on Tuesday. The US, Canada, Germany and Italy also took part in the military drills, including an American flagship, the guided missile cruiser USS Vicksburg. And it comes as Russia becomes increasingly bold in stating the details of how it took Crimea, an act still deemed illegal by most international bodies.

Not at all scary.

Scott Lively: Obama Started The Ukraine Conflict To Punish Russia On LGBT Rights

"Regardless of where one stands on Ukraine or Vladimir Putin, just for a moment consider where the pro-family movement would be if it hadn’t been for the Ukraine coup. Russia would still be (relatively speaking) a respected member of the international community offering an alternative, genuinely pro-family model for social policy. There would likely be at least a half-dozen nations which would have adopted the anti-propaganda law for themselves (with many more considering it) and there would be a healthy international debate raging on pro-family vs LGBT visions for the future. I believe the tide would probably have begun to turn in our favor, at least on the global scene, if not yet in the US or EU. Is it really so far-fetched to believe that morally wicked, Imperialistic, Alinsky-ite Obama (credibly alleged to be a homosexual himself) started the Ukrainian civil war to punish Russia for opposing the 'core value' of America, the priority of his State Department? Or (more importantly to the 'gays') to prevent the Russians from leading a pro-family counter-revolution in the world?" - Scott Lively, writing for his personal site.

UKRAINE: Pro-Russian Militants Warn Women That Smoking Leads To Gay Babies

(Tipped by JMG reader Denys)

VATICAN: Topless Femen Trio Arrested After Simulating Anal Sex With Crucifixes

Via the International Business Times:

Three topless Femen demonstrators have been dragged away from St. Peter's Square after simulating anal sex with crucifixes in a protest against the Pope outside the Vatican. The women crouched on all fours and re-enacted sex with crosses while shouting anti-papal remarks including "a world without religion, a parliament without a pope" and "god is not a magician, pope is not a politician". It is thought the women, who had "the pope is not a politician" daubed across their breasts, were protesting against Pope Francis' planned visit to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on November 25.

Based in Ukraine, the Femen have previously demonstrated in support of LGBT rights, prompting an all-male anti-gay French group, the Hommen, to spring up in response.

Kazaky & Hardkiss -Strange Moves

Exorcism Of The Day

Clip recap: "Energodar, Ukraine is home to the largest nuclear plant in Europe. It will also be remembered as the place where a drug addict name Anton with violent demons came the Christ and was delivered. Watch as seven men struggle to restrain Anton. This exorcism is translated into Russian." Acting! In Russian!

Top Pol: Gays Have No Chance In Crimea

Crimea's top politician today said that gay people "have no chance" now that Russia has taken over the region. Via the Guardian:

Speaking about gay people during a Crimean government session on Tuesday, the region’s de facto leader Sergei Aksyonov said “we in Crimea do not need such people.” In comments reported by the Russian news agencies Interfax and Itar-Tass, Aksyonov said that if the LGBT community tried to hold public gatherings, “our police and self-defence forces will react immediately and in three minutes will explain to them what kind of sexual orientation they should stick to.” He added that Crimean children should be brought up with a “positive attitude to family and traditional values.” Russia annexed Crimea after a referendum that was deemed to be illegal by the United States and European Union.

Askyonov is believed to have ties to the Russian mafia. He has twice been investigated for murder (1997 and 2004) but has evaded prosecution. (Tipped by JMG reader Bob)

Twitter War: Canada Vs Russia

Geography can be tough. Here’s a guide for Russian soldiers who keep getting lost & ‘accidentally’ entering #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/RF3H4IXGSp

— Canada at NATO (@CanadaNATO) August 27, 2014

Helping our Canadian colleagues to catch up with contemporary geography of #Europe @CanadaNATO pic.twitter.com/MjzRxpFFfN

— Russians at NATO (@natomission_ru) August 28, 2014

Kazaky - Pulse

UKRAINE: Actor Steven Seagal Performs Concert For Pro-Russian Separatists

Via the Guardian:

Hollywood actor and musician Steven Seagal played a weekend concert in the Crimean peninsula, appearing on a stage adorned with the flag of pro-Russia separatists in Ukraine. Seagal and his blues band played on Saturday at a bikers' show held in the city of Sevastopol, home to Russia's Black Sea fleet. The star has come under fire for supporting Russia's March annexation of the peninsula from Ukraine, a view that saw him bounced from the lineup at an Estonian blues festival this summer. At the corner of the stage hung the black, blue and red flag of the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic" (DNR), declared independent by pro-Russia rebels fighting to break away from Ukraine. Fans waved Russian and DNR flags as Seagal performed. The US and EU have imposed sanctions on Russia over its annexation of Crimea and for allegedly providing weapons and support to the rebels in eastern Ukraine.

Seagal says that he considers Vladimir Putin a friend and a brother. Watch below as he waves a t-shirt adorned with Putin's face.

Exorcism Of The Day

Clip recap: "During Bob's latest mission to Ukraine, thousands were delivered and experienced spiritual freedom! One of those was Tamara who was suicidal because of rejection from her father. This exorcism starts slowly but you must see the end."

AP: AIDS Community Devastated By Shoot Down Of Malaysian Airliner

Obama Speaks About Airliner Attack

This afternoon President Obama held a press conference on the shooting down of the Malaysian airliner. Here's an excerpt of his statement via a transcript provided by the White House:

Here’s what we know so far. Evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile that was launched from an area that is controlled by Russian-backed separatists inside of Ukraine. We also know that this is not the first time a plane has been shot down in eastern Ukraine. Over the last several weeks, Russian-backed separatists have shot down a Ukrainian transport plane and a Ukrainian helicopter, and they claimed responsibility for shooting down a Ukrainian fighter jet. Moreover, we know that these separatists have received a steady flow of support from Russia. This includes arms and training. It includes heavy weapons, and it includes anti-aircraft weapons.

Here’s what must happen now. This was a global tragedy. An Asian airliner was destroyed in European skies, filled with citizens from many countries. So there has to be a credible international investigation into what happened. The U.N. Security Council has endorsed this investigation, and we will hold all its members -- including Russia -- to their word. In order to facilitate that investigation, Russia, pro-Russian separatists, and Ukraine must adhere to an immediate cease-fire. Evidence must not be tampered with. Investigators need to access the crash site. And the solemn task of returning those who were lost on board the plane to their loved ones needs to go forward immediately.

Near the end of his remarks, the president paid tribute to the many AIDS researchers who perished in the attack.

Let me close by making one additional comment. On board Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17, there were apparently nearly 100 researchers and advocates traveling to an international conference in Australia dedicated to combating AIDS/HIV. These were men and women who had dedicated their own lives to saving the lives of others and they were taken from us in a senseless act of violence. In this world today, we shouldn’t forget that in the midst of conflict and killing, there are people like these -- people who are focused on what can be built rather than what can be destroyed; people who are focused on how they can help people that they’ve never met; people who define themselves not by what makes them different from other people but by the humanity that we hold in common. It’s important for us to lift them up and to affirm their lives. And it’s time for us to heed their example.

After his prepared statement, the president took questions from the press about sanctions against Russia.

UKRAINE: 108 Passengers On Shot Down Airliner Were Bound For AIDS Conference

Via the Australian:

More than 100 AIDS activists, researchers and health workers bound for a major conference in Melbourne were on the Malaysia Airlines flight downed in the Ukraine. It is believed that delegates to the 20th International AIDS Conference, due to begin on Sunday, will be informed today that 108 of their colleagues and family members died on MH17. Stunned researchers, activists and development workers arriving at Melbourne Airport paid tribute to AIDS researcher Joep Lange and the other attendees believed killed aboard MH17. Jonathan Quick, head of a not-for–profit medicine supply company working with the Global Fund and the US government in Africa and Latin America, described Professor Lange as a force for change in HIV/AIDS treatment. .

Via the Guardian:

“There’s a huge feeling of sadness here, people are in floods of tears in the corridors,” Clive Aspin, a veteran HIV researcher who attended the pre-conference plenary session in Sydney, told Guardian Australia. “These people were the best and the brightest, the ones who had dedicated their whole careers to fighting this terrible virus. It’s devastating.” Prof. Richard Boyd, director of the Monash Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories, told Guardian Australia he was "gutted" by the losses. "There were some serious HIV leaders on that plane," he said. "This will have ramifications globally because whenever you lose a leader in any field, it has an impact. That knowledge is irreplaceable. "We've lost global leaders and also some bright young people who were coming through. It's a gut-wrenching loss. I was involved in the aftermath of 9/11 in New York and it brings back that level of catastrophe. "But the Aids community is very close-knit, like a family. They will unite and this will galvanise people to strive harder to find a breakthrough. Let's hope that, out of this madness, there will be new hope for the world."

Via the Associated Press:

Nobel laureate Dr. Francoise Barre-Sinoussi, co-discoverer of the AIDS virus and president of the International AIDS Society, paid tribute to Lange in a speech in the Australian capital, Canberra. "Joep was a wonderful person — a great professional ... but more than that, a wonderful human being," she said. "If it is confirmed, it will be a terrible loss for all of us. I have no words, really, to try to express my sadness. I feel totally devastated." She later told reporters the conference would continue out of respect for the lives lost: "Because we know that it's really what they would like us to do." Lange had been working on HIV since the earliest years of the epidemic, participating in clinical trials and research across the world, Barre-Sinoussi said. He had dedicated his life, she said, to "the benefit of mankind."

"Lets hope that out of this madness, there will be new hope for the world." Madness. Madness, indeed.

Porno Pete: I Was Wrong About Putin

(Tipped by JMG reader Ashton)

REPORT: Airliner Shot Down Over Ukraine

Story developing...

Kazaky - Magic Pie

(Tipped by JMG reader Alan)

RUSSIA: Vladimir Putin Says Gay Nazis Are Behind Civil Unrest In Ukraine

According to Matthew Schmidt, an American expert on the region, Vladimir Putin has taken to labeling anti-Russian protesters in Ukraine as "gay Nazis."

The gay Nazis label was simultaneously an attempt to tie the new pro-Europe camp in Kiev to the hated German Third Reich while also taking advantage of the growing acceptance of gay marriage in the West, particularly in the United States. "Putin has said homosexuality is not our values, and that sense of tolerance of homosexuality is not part of Euroasia," said Schmidt, who will be in Ukraine monitoring the May 25 elections that are being overseen by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Euroasia is the name for the empire Schmidt believes Putin is trying to construct. Schmidt says Putin is driven by the goal of rebuilding a Euroasian empire with Moscow as its capital. Putin also has written extensively on the subject of Euroasia, which would generally follow the geography of the former Soviet Union. Bringing Ukraine into Moscow's camp would be crucial to seeing that dream come to reality. Russian media also have called the Maidan square, where protests led to the demise of former pro-Russian Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych, the "Gayeuromaidan," thus tying together Europe and the gay rights movement, writes Yale history professor and author Timothy Snyder in The New York Review of Books.

The above-linked report notes that Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin tweeted this week that Conchita Wurst's win at Eurovision "showed supporters of European integration their European future - a bearded girl." That comment is apparently considered further evidence of Putin's campaign to tie Russia's expansion plans to anti-gay sentiment. Where have we seen that kind of strategy before?