Attendees at Moscow Pride faced intimidation and violence for the sixth year running as the event was attacked by police, fascists and religious extremists.

Riot police gathered to prevent LGBT activists from marching on Saturday. Youtube videos show police violently arresting both Pride participants and neo-Nazi counter-demonstrators. 18 Pride participants were detained and a Russian journalist was hospitalised following violent scenes.

Human rights activist Peter Tatchell accused Moscow police of colluding with neo-Nazis groups. He told news agency AFP that a number of people “who looked like skinheads and neo-Nazis” arrived in coaches that parked outside the police station.

“Our suspicion is that they were police officers in civilian clothes,” he said. “We suspect that a sizeable portion of the neo-Nazis were actually undercover police officers.”

Tatchell also told Pink News that Moscow Pride organiser Anna Komarova was being pressured to provide police with information. “The police are threatening to detain her for 48 hours unless she gives them the information they want,” he wrote.

Komarova was eventually released on Saturday evening, along with the other detained Pride attendees.

The Pride march took place in spite of a ban imposed by Moscow authorities. This ban ran contrary to a recent ruling by the European Court of Human Rights, which stated that the Russian anti-Pride stance was in violation of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

[Photo courtesy of GayRussia]