Russian police raid Moscow nightclubs in LGBTQ+ crackdown

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian police raided several bars and nightclubs across Moscow on Saturday as part of the government’s crackdown on “LGBTQ+ propaganda,” state media reported.

Smartphones, laptops and video cameras were seized, while clubgoers had their documents inspected by officers, Russia’s Tass news agency said, citing sources in law enforcement.

The raids come exactly a year since Russia’s Supreme Court ruled that the “LGBTQ+ movement” should be banned as an “extremist organization."

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Its decision followed a decades-long crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights in Russia, where President Vladimir Putin has touted “traditional family values” as a cornerstone of his quarter-century in power.

Footage shared on social media appeared to show partygoers being ordered by police to lie on the floor as officers moved through Moscow’s Arma nightclub.

The capital’s Mono bar was also targeted, Russian media reported. In a post on Telegram on Saturday, the club’s management didn't directly reference an incident with law enforcement, but wrote, “Friends, we’re so sorry that what happened, happened. They didn’t find anything forbidden. We live in such times, but life must go on.”

Police also detained the head of the “Men Travel” tour agency on Saturday under anti-LGBT laws, Tass reported. The news agency said that the 48-year-old was suspected of preparing a trip for “the supporters of nontraditional sexual values” to visit Egypt over Russia’s New Year's holidays.

The raids mirror the concerns of Russian activists who warned that Moscow’s designation of the “LGBTQ+ movement” as “extremist” — despite it not being an official entity — could see Russian authorities crack down at will on groups or individuals.

Other recent laws have also served to put pressure on those that the Russian government believes aren't in line with the country’s “traditional values.”

On Nov. 23, Putin signed into law a bill banning the adoption of Russian children by citizens of countries where gender-affirming care is legal.

The Kremlin leader also approved legislation that outlaws the spread of material that encourages people not to have children.