Seventeen protesters detained while trying to unfurl rainbow flags at rally in St Petersburg

This article is more than 8 years old

This article is more than 8 years old

Russian police have arrested 17 gay rights activists at a May Day rally in St Petersburg.

Members of the group were detained while trying to unfurl rainbow flags at a rally organised by opposition groups, activists said. Police said they were to be charged with failing to co-operate with officers.

"The first activists who unfurled their flags were detained. Some tried to raise posters, they were also detained," said Yury Gavrikov, a local gay rights leader. "Two police officers would grab each person, with no warning."

In March, St Petersburg became the fourth city in Russia to adopt a vaguely phrased law banning "homosexual propaganda" among minors. Activists believe it is a means of cracking down on gay rights.

Last week, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia's third largest city, adopted a similar law. Politicians have proposed passing it at a federal level.

Activists have decried the law as a throwback to Soviet times, when homosexuality was banned. It is being promoted by the ultra-conservative Orthodox church, whose influence has grown since Vladimir Putin began facing challenges to his rule last December.

Gavrikov said: "The point of the law wasn't to repress people. It was created for the same reasons the atom bomb was developed during the cold war – as a means of political pressure.

"This new law is the same, it creates political, psychological pressure and creates a group of second-class citizens."

More than 30,000 people took part in the city's May Day celebrations, officials said. The rally was led by the ruling United Russia party, but also included representatives of the Communist party and nationalist groups.