Raids took place in the Sisters and Bizarre clubs in Moscow
Security forces came to Sisters and Bizarre, interrogated visitors and conducted searches
On the night of December 7, security forces broke into the Moscow clubs Sisters and Bizarre. Izvestia and REN TV wrote about this. It is unknown what exactly caused the raids. This is the second weekend when security forces come to clubs in Moscow.
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Security forces were looking for drugs and LGBT people
In the Izvestia video, the publication’s correspondent enters the Sisters club building along with employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The footage shows clubgoers, some of them lying face down on the floor, others standing nearby. What follows is a recording of a conversation with a young man whose face is blurred. “We are not stupid people here, so... So this is a drug?” the correspondent asks him and points to the table on which there is a smoking pipe. The young man says that he “sees no point in explaining himself.”
“The rumor is that not only lovers of this have gathered here today, but also homosexuals and lesbians. Is there just a rumor going around here?” the Izvestia employee continues to ask questions. The young man replies: “As for lesbians, yes, purely because of the name Sisters, as I understand it.”
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Izvestia and REN TV wrote in their publications that security forces found drugs on one of the Sisters visitors, and he said that “there may be representatives of gay people” in the club.
In addition, publications claim that in the Bizarre club found “dozens of stage costumes and rooms with BDSM equipment.”
The Mash telegram channel reported that raids also took place at the Central Station club, but one of the visitors did not confirm this information to Novaya Gazeta.Europe.
Last weekend, security forces raided Mono and the former Mutabor
On the night of November 30, riot police and the second special police regiment came with raids in Mono . One of the club visitors told Vorstka that during the raid they “put everyone face down, walked with a dog, asked why they were here and looked for club employees.” The security forces were especially interested in young people under 30 years of age. The interlocutor of “Vestka” was given a summons, like some other visitors.
At the Arma club (formerly "Mutabor") they also made everyone face down on the floor, then told them to sit down. People were not allowed out of the establishment for several hours; they were asked questions about their place of residence, work, and whether they used drugs. As a result, dozens of visitors were detained.
The press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that the raids on the clubs took place as part of measures “to combat LGBT propaganda.”
On December 2 and 3, the Lefortovo Court of Moscow imposed 12 to 15 days of administrative arrest on 12 visitors of the Arma club under the article of petty hooliganism. The court’s press release stated that “these citizens committed an administrative offense, which was expressed in clear disrespect for society, accompanied by obscene language in a public place.”
Raids have become more frequent after the LGBT movement was recognized as extremist in Russia
On November 30, 2023, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation recognized the non-existent “international LGBT social movement” as an extremist organization. The court's decision stated that the LGBT movement "promotes an ideology of destruction of traditional values."
After this, Russian gay clubs faced a wave of pressure. In its reports, “Verstka” told how a list of banned artists appeared in Moscow gay clubs, whose songs can no longer be sung, among them Max Barskikh , Loboda and Meladze. In another piece, “Verstka” talked to visitors to gay clubs about how they feel about the law on LGBT extremism .
In March of this year, it became known about the first criminal case in Russia under the article on organizing the activities of an extremist organization due to involvement with LGBT people. It was brought against the owners of the gay bar Pose in Orenburg after repeated raids by security forces. In the fall, similar criminal cases appeared in Chita, Voronezh and Kirov , where police also came.
Photo: Sisters social networks
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