ST. PETERSBURG, Russia -- Seven members of the Legislative Assembly in Russia's second-largest city, St. Petersburg, have urged local law enforcement to investigate an attack on LGBT activists.

Local lawmaker Boris Vishnevsky said on August 14 that he and six other lawmakers have written to the police chief of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region, Sergei Umnov, urging him to fully investigate an attack that occurred on August 12.

Several young men used pepper spray to attack the LGBT activists, who had rallied in the city. Some 15 activists and journalists who were covering the rally were injured in the attack.

According to the journalists and lawmakers, police officers were standing not far from the site when the attack took place but did not interfere.

Some journalists have started their own investigations and published photos of the incident on Facebook.

It is expected that Umnov will respond to the lawmakers' note later on August 15.

