Madonna faces legal action after Russian activists claim she encouraged gay sex between children during show in St Petersburg



St Petersburg

Madonna has been ordered to appear in a Russian court to face accusations she publicly encouraged gay sex between minors during a show



Madonna has been ordered to appear in a Russian court to face accusations she publicly encouraged gay sex between minors during a show in St Petersburg, it emerged today.

The lawsuit - brought by a group of activists - orders the singer to explain her comments during a show in the city in August, local media reports.

Lawyers are seeking more than £6million in 'moral damages' from the star after she called on Russians to respect gay rights and passed out pink bracelets to concertgoers.

Performing in black lingerie with the words 'No Fear' scrawled on her bare back, Madonna urged the audience to 'show your love and appreciation to the gay community. We want to fight for the right to be free.'

Under local law it is illegal to promote homosexuality to the young.

Madonna was labelled a 'moralisiing s***' by Russia’s Deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin during the row.

He Tweeted: 'With age, every former s. tries to lecture everyone on morality. Either take off your cross, or put on your knickers.'



Earlier in the tour the 53-year-old singer had offended the Kremlin by demanding the release of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot who face probable jail for an anti-Putin protest in a Moscow cathedral.

At her Moscow concert, prior to the St Petersburg gig, Madonna scrawled the words ‘Pussy Riot’ on her back and sang ‘Like a Virgin’ wearing the punk group’s balaclava.

Local law-makers this year enacted fines for those 'promoting homosexuality' to minors, equating it with paedophilia. Gay Pride marches are effectively illegal in the city.



Madonna was labelled a 'moralisiing s***' by Russia’s Deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin, left, during the row

Madonna wrote the words 'Pussy Riot' on her back in support of the girl group on trial for performing an anti-Putin song

Russia legalised homosexuality in 1993 after the fall of the Soviet Union but only ceased to classify it as a mental disorder in 1999, and homophobic attitudes still run high in the country.

Critics of the law - the model for a bill submitted to the national parliament - say they fear it could be used to clamp down on the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, for instance by barring gay rights demonstrations.



St. Petersburg police chief Sergei Umnov told local reporters in July that 74 people had been fined so far.



Homosexuality, punished with jail terms in the Soviet Union, was decriminalised in Russia in 1993, but much of the homosexual community remains largely underground as anti-gay prejudice runs deep.



Numerous attempts to hold gay protests in Moscow, ruled illegal by the authorities, have ended in arrests and clashes with violent Russian Orthodox believers who say homosexuals should be punished or treated for 'illness'.

Inappropriate: Madonna stripped off to 'dedicate' her act to a Pakistani girl who is in hospital in a critical condition

Madonna has courted controversy throughout her MDNA tour - during her July concert in Istanbul , the Queen of Pop tantalized the crowd during a performance of her hit song 'Human Nature,' wearing a skimpy bra top that she promptly pulled down to reveal one voluptuous nipple.

While last month she urged Americans to support Barack Obama during a concert in Washington DC, but incorrectly referred to him as a Muslim.



Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by Taliban gunmen, but survived

Earlier this month Madonna she made yet another controversial statement by strip-teasing to 'show her support' for Pakistani girl Malala Yousafzai, who was shot on a schoolbus for writing a blog about how important education is.

During a concert at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, the singer began by telling her audience that she wanted have a 'serious talk'.

She told fans that the news that the 14-year-old had been gunned down by the Taliban had made her 'cry'.



But then the millionaire decided that this performance clearly was not a strong enough statement, and chose to 'dedicate' a strip tease to the girl, who is currently in a critical condition.



Her attempt to make a stand in the name of Malala backfired, however, after furious Pakistanis discovered her act.