Marchers in Saint Petersburg against new anti-gay law confronted by opponents throwing eggs, flares and stones

This article is more than 7 years old

This article is more than 7 years old

Russian police have detained dozens of people who clashed during a protest in Saint Petersburg against new anti-gay legislation.

Up to 100 people took part in the march organised by the group Ravnopraviye (Equal Rights) to protest against the bill. Police intervened with batons when the marchers were confronted by an equal number of anti-gay activists throwing eggs, smoke flares and stones.

Critics say the legislation, passed by the Russian parliament two weeks ago, effectively bans gay rights rallies and could be used to prosecute anyone voicing support for gay people.

"We staged the rally to support our rights and express our protest against the homophobic law," Natalya Tsymbalova, a gay activist, told Reuters, claiming that the protest did not break the law.

The violence highlights increasing intolerance in Russian society towards gay people and the crackdown on dissent against the president, Vladimir Putin.

The legislation bans the spreading of "propaganda for non-traditional sexual relations" to minors, with heavy fines for violations. It has yet to be signed into law by Putin.

There are no official figures on anti-gay crime in Russia, but an online poll last year found that 15% of the 900 gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender respondents said they had been physically attacked at least once in the previous 10 months.

Putin, who has embraced the Russian Orthodox church as a moral authority and harnessed its influence as a source of political support, has championed socially conservative values since starting a new six-year term in May 2012.